Narundi Dynasty Saga Book 1: The Edge of the Purge
by NarundiJedi
Summary: In a galaxy quite distant from the GFFA the old order of Jedi still remains intact. They escaped Vader's purge and are now thriving just as they always did before. However, not everything is as simple as it seems, as Noaa'lan Narundi finds out.
1. Danger For the Narundi Dynasty

Author's Note:  
  
The idea of the jedi and most of the characters (since they were inspired by George Lucas) are property of George Lucas and not my own. Also, this story contains some mild sexual situations. Nothing blatant but enough innuendo to give it a PG-13 rating. So, if you're not 13 then please don't read it. Yeah, like you'll listen to me. Also, there isn't really swearing, unless the occasional "damn" is in there. I'm not sure about that either. Most swears are "sithspawn" and cool stuff like that :-). Well, enjoy! Oh, and if you have problems with the names, the pronounciation guide is on my website.  
  
Chapter One  
  
When Darth Vader and the Emperor began the purge of the Jedi, it seemed as if they were unstoppable, and that no Jedi, not even the strongest master, could withstand the strength of their onslaught. However, as it is with every plague, battle, or weapon of mass destruction, there are always the outer boundaries that are not affected. There was only so far that the destruction could reach before it ended. Cel'aanaeus Narundi, Jedi Master and King of the peaceful planet N'aanwaria, knew the danger that Vader and his Emperor imposed upon his kingdom. He knew that he needed to act fast, if he wanted to protect his people.  
  
Cel'aanaeus frowned as he looked out among his students. The pressure of telling the young Jedi trainees what danger lay ahead weighed heavily on his shoulders. He looked around the room at the solemn faces as a hush fell over them. They quieted down to listen to the urgent news that their master had to give them.  
  
Cel'aanaeus smoothed his hands over the folds of cloth of his Jedi cloak, and he began to speak.  
  
"A time of great turmoil is upon us. The Darkside Jedi-hunters from our neighboring galaxy have arrived upon our doorstep, and we need to make sure that they never reach us. The time for you to train in the ways of the force is over, and now you must use your skills to defend the Narundi Dynasty. Use your abilities to protect yourself and your families, for this foe is not after money or other material goods, he's after you and your descendants. He wishes to extinguish all remnants of your Jedi brethren. You, as Jedi, need to defend yourselves against extermination. Against death."  
  
A flurry of intense whispers erupted from the congregation as he finished his speech. He could sense their anxiety and dread as clearly as if it were his own. Maybe it was his own dread after all. He had a lot to protect, all by himself. His young wife. His seven-year-old son, Noaa'lan. His little four-year-old son, Kahl'aan. So innocent was young Kahl'aan, that he didn't know what was going on. He just kept to himself, and played with his older brother.  
  
Noaa'lan, however, had seen it coming. He knew, almost before his father did, of the dark man coming for him. The long string of horrific nightmares of days to come had shaken the little jedi from a sound sleep many times.  
  
Cel'aaneaus smiled. The young boy was extremely strong in the force. And extremely strong willed as well. You couldn't tell Noaa'lan "No" without giving him a decent reason as to "Why?", and even then he sometimes wouldn't take no for an answer. It didn't seem very unusual for a child his age to want to know why he couldn't do things, but Noaa'lan was different. He had ways of getting into things that adults would not think possible for a seven-year-old to get into.  
  
'He's quite a handful,' thought Cel'aanaeus. He felt himself smile again as he thought of the time that Noaa'lan managed to evade the instructor's eye when he went vortex skiing, against his father's will, on a dangerous ocean trail. So treacherous was this trail, that you needed parental consent just to go with a guide if you were under 18. So how could they let a seven-year-old go without the correct papers signed and without a guide? Of course, the only possible way was if Noaa'lan clouded the instructor's mind and memory, using a Jedi mind trick. Cel'aanaeus had still been very upset with the instructor when his son came back, luckily unscathed, but with stories to tell of adventures that he should have never taken. It was Noaa'lan that he should have been scolding. Yet, Noaa'lan was merely a boy. You couldn't blame him for much.  
  
'Yes, not much. More like everything. And THAT is how he gets away with murder. People underestimate him,' thought Cel'aanaeus. 'My son will always be capable of much more than is expected of him.'  
  
The Jedi Master exited the marble halls of the training school that had been built by his great grandfather, Jihl'aan Narundi, and he looked wearily up to the heavens, and the setting sun. Already the colors of purple and orange were fading to reveal the billions of shimmering stars. Cel'aanaeus had once looked up to the sky with wonder, longing to go out and touch the stars, and seek adventure. Years of training, teaching, and fighting for his freedom had taken away most of what was left of that youthful optimism he had once cherished so deeply. That same youthful optimism that he saw in the bright blue eyes of his eldest son. The boy was good, intelligent, and practical. He was born to be a leader. He was born to be a king. 


	2. The Snatch

Chapter Two  
  
"You can't make me do dis, Noa-na!!" cried Kahl'aan as he crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.  
  
"Come on, Kahl'aan!! You do want to get some cookies, don't you?" whispered Noaa'lan as he crept around the corner to the kitchen.  
  
"No, not dis way. Noa-na being bad! Noa-na get into trouble. Ka-la don't want to be a part of Noa-na's plans again!"  
  
Noaa'lan grinned defiantly at his younger brother. He seemed to show pride at having Kahl'aan associate him to trouble. Trouble was a good thing, especially when he didn't get caught getting into it. Noaa'lan's blue eyes flashed as he reached outward with the force. The cookie jar floated off the counter and through the air. . .  
  
"What are you into now, my little Jedi?" boomed a voice from behind him.  
  
The cookie jar tumbled to the floor as Noaa'lan froze in place.  
  
Caught, red-handed.  
  
He had not detected his father's footsteps as Cel'aanaeus walked into the room. Now, Noaa'lan certainly had some explaining to do.  
  
"Father, I. . . I," stammered Noaa'lan.  
  
"Noaa'lan. Go find your mother so she can help you clean up this mess. Kahl'aan. Did you have anything to do with this?" asked Cel'aanaeus.  
  
"Uh-uh. It was all Noa-na's fault. Ka-la didn't do anything!!" the young dark-haired boy said seriously as his wide blue eyes looked up at his father.  
  
"Of course not. And we'll have to have a snack as your brother cleans up the mess, now won't we?" asked Cel'aanaeus with a smile as he bent down to pick up his youngest son.  
  
"Yes! Clean up mess now, Noa-na!! Noa-na been bad!!" cried Kahl'aan gleefully as he barked out orders to his scowling older brother.  
  
"Tattletale!!" yelled Noaa'lan, but he knew it was a feeble protest. He'd been caught. Now he'd have to be punished. His father was beginning to outsmart him.  
  
"What did Noaa'lan do this time, dear?" asked Bel'aanaea.  
  
"See for yourself, " said Cel'aanaeus.  
  
"It wouldn't have broken, if father hadn't sneaked up behind me!!" pleaded Noaa'lan, but his mother was already handing him a broom and dustpan.  
  
As he was cleaning up the mess, Noaa'lan glared at his brother. Kahl'aan was chewing the last few bites of the T'aandria honey cake that his father had given him. His face was sticky, almost completely covered with the food he had just eaten. He smiled with great pleasure as he watched Noaa'lan clean up the mess.  
  
Then a thought occurred to Noaa'lan. His brother was using him to get the treats. Kahl'aan got rewarded. Noaa'lan got punished.  
  
'He only acts sweet and innocent, so that father and mother will believe he's not doing anything wrong! Well, I'll have to do something about that!' thought Noaa'lan with a grin.  
  
"Mother? When I'm done cleaning, may I please have a honey cake?" Noaa'lan asked in his sweetest voice.  
  
"NO!!!" howled Kahl'aan angrily. "He's BAD!! He doesn't get one!!"  
  
"Why not!?" Noaa'lan asked, raising his voice. "Who made you the boss around here!!?  
  
Kahl'aan's face crinkled up in an angry scowl as he began to throw a force- aided temper tantrum.  
  
One of the pots that was hanging over the stove launched through the air, and came down upon Noaa'lan's head. Noaa'lan yowled, partially because of pain, partially because of surprise. He had not expected Kahl'aan to lash out at him that strongly.  
  
"Kahl'aan!! Stop that at once!!!" yelled Bel'aanaea. "How many times have your father and I told you not to lash out in anger!!? That's the dark side!! Now go get washed up, and go to your room!!" Kahl'aan creeped out of the room with a guilty look on his face. Noaa'lan rubbed the bump on his head, and smiled quietly to himself. He knew his brother's temper. He also knew that Kahl'aan's short fuse could be used to direct the attention away from himself. He knew it wasn't a good thing to do to his brother, but sometimes Kahl'aan asked for it.  
  
"How's your head, sweetheart?" asked his mother.  
  
Noaa'lan responded with a puzzled expression as the dull ache in his temples turned into a head-pounding throbbing sensation. He must have taken a much harder hit than he'd thought.  
  
"Get him some ice. I think he might need to lie down for a while." responded his father.  
  
With the ice pack firmly pressed to his forehead, Noaa'lan weakly reached out his arms to his father. Cel'aanaeus picked up his son and walked quietly down the marble corridor to the young crown prince's room.  
  
Noaa'lan's eyelids drooped as his father laid him down gently on his bed.  
  
"You know, Noaa'lan. You really should think twice about baiting your brother. It could lead to his destruction," whispered Cel'annaeus as he turned out the light and closed the door.  
  
'Darn,' thought Noaa'lan. 'All this pain, and I STILL get caught. . .'  
  
Noaa'lan fell asleep. 


	3. Bad Dreams

Chapter Three  
  
Noaa'lan stood at the end of the long corridor as the dark man approached. The red-violet glow of the looming figure's lightsaber bathed his shiny, black body armor in an aura the color of blood.  
  
Noaa'lan tried desperately to hide in the shadows, but the dark man could smell him. He could smell fear a million miles away, and Noaa'lan was afraid.  
  
"It's no use hiding in the shadows, Noaa'lan, " hissed the dark man, venomously. "Come with me, your highness, and let me teach you the true ways of the force!! Let me teach you to mold your anger, your hatred, your fears, into a deadly weapon!!"  
  
"NO!!!" cried Noaa'lan, at the top of his lungs. "I'll never give in to the dark side!!"  
  
"Still obsessed with the feeble power of the light side, I see. The light side of the force couldn't save your family. Only now you know that the true power lies within the dark side of the force!! Join me, or you will pay with your life, my. . .pitiful. . .brother. . ."  
  
The dark man gave a malicious laugh, as he pulled back his hood, to reveal the dark hair and blue eyes of a man in his early-forties.  
  
Somehow, Noaa'lan had already known who the man was, even though his face seemed different and foreign. It was the evil face of a man consumed by the dark side, and the confirmation that his brother had been corrupted, though he had suspected such a thing for quite a while, left Noaa'lan with a sickening feeling of dread in his stomach.  
  
"Kahl'aan!!" gasped Noaa'lan. "NO!!!!!!!!"  
  
Kahl'aan reached out with his hand, and bolts of blue fire cascaded from his fingertips, tearing into Noaa'lan, and searing his flesh.  
  
Kahl'aan's lips curled back in a smile, and he laughed as he watched his brother writhe in agony.  
  
"NOOO!!!!!" cried Noaa'lan, as he woke from the nightmare, drenched in sweat, his head throbbing. He could still feel the blue bolts of electricity surging through his head. Noaa'lan began to cry loudly.  
  
Cel'aanaeus rushed in to comfort his son. Noaa'lan immediately clung to his father for dear life.  
  
"What's the matter?? Did you have another bad dream, Noaa'lan??" whispered Cel'aanaeus as he smoothed down Noaa'lan's unruly hair.  
  
Noaa'lan nodded quietly as he hugged his father tightly.  
  
"Was it about the dark man, again??" asked Cel'aanaeus.  
  
Noaa'lan looked his father in the eyes, not sure of what he should say to him. His head was pounding. Surely he was capable of dreaming any kind of nonsense when he was hurt or sick, but he rarely ever dreamed about something that didn't come true. He couldn't say to his father that Kahl'aan was the dark man, though. His father would never believe that!! Noaa'lan couldn't even believe it himself!! It was impossible that that man was Kahl'aan!! Kahl'aan was just a four-year-old boy!! No, he had hit his head, and he was delirious. That was all.  
  
"My head. . . it hurts so much!!" Noaa'lan sobbed.  
  
Drawing from the force, Cel'aanaeus soothed the pain in Noaa'lan throbbing skull. Then, he got him another icepack, and put him to bed.  
  
"We'll check that head of yours again in the morning, Noaa'lan. Sweet dreams." said Cel'aanaeus, as he turned out the lights.  
  
Noaa'lan stayed awake for a long time after that, wondering whether the dark man really was his brother, or whether he was just pretending to be. Kahl'aan seemed so innocent. He couldn't really turn to the dark side!!? Noaa'lan just lay awake, in fear of things to come. 


	4. A Meeting of Fate

Chapter Four  
  
Twelve Years Later. . .  
  
"Noaa'lan, do you actually think that this year will be any better than the last fifteen years that we've attended the Academy?" asked K'aashi Taa'lani as he followed his friend through the front gates of the Narundi Jedi Academy.  
  
"K'aashi, this is our last year before we earn the title of Jedi Master. This is our last year of classes. After that, WE become the teachers. What's not to love??" said Noaa'lan with a grin.  
  
"This is the year that you, Noaa'lan Narundi, will find yourself a woman! I'm not going to rest until you've found yourself a suitor!" declared K'aashi.  
  
"Well, don't you mean, 'Until I'VE found you a suitor'?"  
  
"You talk of me like I was some kind of busy-body, but the fact is that your Dad is getting royally pissed off, if you'd pardon the expression, because you haven't started dating yet!!" K'aashi said, gesturing with his hand toward the royal palace.  
  
"Ahh, what can I say. I'm slow on that issue. First thing's first. I'm going to be working hard to become a jedi master, this year. Then, if I find someone who's really hot, I'll go after her, and make her my queen," Noaa'lan announced sarcastically.  
  
"You go ahead and do that, Noaa'lan. Oh look, here comes Pops himself," said K'aashi.  
  
Cel'aanaeus walked up to his son with an urgent look on his face. He handed Noaa'lan a small slip of yellow paper.  
  
"Awww, man!! Father!! I don't want to usher a freshman around for the next two weeks!! Why did you have to make me a senior guide?" groaned Noaa'lan.  
  
"Listen up, because this is important. I selected you to take J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi around campus for the next two weeks, because I know that you'll be of great help as she finds her way around and gets to know people," said Cel'aanaeus.  
  
"J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi??!! Why in the world would Raa'nlan T'naa'lichi ever send one of his daughters to the Narundi Academy?? I thought that he had a grudge against you!!" exclaimed Noaa'lan.  
  
"I'm not sure if it's any of your business to know such matters, but I will tell you that it's for financial reasons. Believe me, Raa'nlan didn't want to send his daughter here. However, he had no choice in the decision, and YOU are going to show his daughter around, because I know how friendly and outgoing you are. You can help her to fit in better, and get to know her way around school, because, as every freshman knows, Narundi Academy is a very big place. She's waiting in the main office, so hop to it," Cel'aanaeus instructed his son, and then he turned and walked away almost as quickly as he had appeared.  
  
"Ooooohhh, man I feel sorry for you, Noaa'lan. Taking the T'naa'lichi girl around school! That feud between your families has been going on since before you were born!! They say that Raa'nlan and your father were both-"  
  
"- Best friends turned enemies over a dispute involving a woman.Yes, I've heard the story before, from just about everyone who enters this school! They've all got to make sure that they've got their history right!" Noaa'lan droned as he walked down the deafeningly loud corridor toward the office.  
  
" Nobody ever did figure out who the girl was, did they? Man, tough break! Your dad never takes no for an answer, does he? Well, I heard that J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi is a real difficult broad to get along with, so you've got your work cut out for ya'! Oh, also, she's real fat, I've heard, with a big nose, and beady little eyes-" K'aashi said, rambling on.  
  
"Thanks, K'aashi, but you're not helping things very much," said Noaa'lan with a nervous smile.  
  
Noaa'lan entered the office, and he looked around for J'aa'nalia. He was both shocked and amused to find that nobody there quite matched K'aashi's gruesome description of Raa'nlan's youngest daughter.  
  
"Which one of you girls is J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi?" Noaa'lan asked in a loud, clear voice. From the crowd emerged a tall, slender girl, who looked to be about fourteen years of age, with long ash blond hair, almond shaped hazel eyes, full lips, and a fair complexion. Noaa'lan tried to hide his surprise, and he could tell from the gasp he heard beside him that K'aashi was just as shocked as he was. She was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that left your mouth gaping wide open. As if in a haze, she glided over to Noaa'lan, and offered him her hand, and her warmest smile.  
  
"Hi, I'm J'aa'nalia. You guys must be my senior guides!" she said, her eyes flashing as she smiled at them.  
  
"K'aashi Taa'lani, at your service, ma'am, and I'm quite happy to be your senior guide," K'aashi said with a wide grin.  
  
Noaa'lan glared at his friend. After all that talk about hooking Noaa'lan up, he couldn't believe that K'aashi was begrudging him his rights as a senior guide, just so he could be with a pretty girl!  
  
"Please excuse my dumb friend here, but I believe that I was the rightfully appointed senior guide. Pleased to meet you, J'aa'nalia. My name's Noaa'lan. Noaa'lan Narundi," Noaa'lan said, and then added cautiously, "My father asked me to show you around campus."  
  
J'aa'nalia was a little less tactful at disguising her surprise. She let out a gasp when she realized that this young man was Noaa'lan Narundi, the crown prince and son of her father's sworn enemy.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm being very rude," she whispered sheepishly. "It's just that I always thought you'd look. . .well. . .different."  
  
"Believe me, J'aa'nalia, I think we've all heard stories about eachother, none of which are true, so I believe it's in our best interest that we ignore such prejudices, and get to know eachother for who we really are," Noaa'lan said with a smile.  
  
"Yes, I'd like that very much," J'aa'nalia said, and then added, "When you live with my father, all you hear is the prejudices. You hear none of the truth. I didn't even know what you looked like. You don't make public appearances much, do you?"  
  
"Not without a disguise he doesn't. That's one good thing about being a jedi. You don't have to rely on a stupid hat and phony facial hair!" K'aashi replied.  
  
"You just walk around with your appearance altered, and nobody notices?" J'aa'nalia asked, candidly surprised.  
  
"I'm actually very good at that. Been doing it for quite some time now, to be exact," stated Noaa'lan, with a sly grin.  
  
"Wow. So, are you going to show me to my classes?" asked J'aa'nalia.  
  
"Sure, but first, we're going to get your books from the secretary, so follow me right in here," said Noaa'lan, as he led her into an adjacent room where a woman in her mid-forties was typing notes into her datapad. "Hello, Mrs. Taa'lani. Do you have the books for J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi's classes?"  
  
"Why sure I do, Noaa'lan. Here you are, J'aa'nalia. I hope your stay here at Academy is an enjoyable experience. K'aashi! Quit hovering in my doorway! It's either in or out!" exclaimed Mrs. Taa'lani.  
  
"Sorry mom." K'aashi said dryly.  
  
"What's the matter?" said Mrs. Taa'lani. "Are you afraid to acknowledge your mother's presence while you're in school?"  
  
"No mom," said K'aashi.  
  
"Well, you kids scoot right on out of here. The bell's about to ring, and you don't want to be late," declared Mrs. Taa'lani.  
  
Noaa'lan led J'aa'naila down the hall, showing her the different classrooms in the Academy, with K'aashi in tow. She was very talkative and animate as they walked along, and Noaa'lan couldn't help but be stricken by how attractive she was. Noaa'lan led her to her first class just before the bell rang. She gave him a sweet smile as she walked through the door, and then she was gone.  
  
"Wow. She's. . .she's just so-"  
  
"Hot. I believe the word is 'Hot'. She's a ten, Noaa'lan, a ten! I'm going to get with her before the end of the year, that's for sure!" exclaimed K'aashi.  
  
"K'aashi!! She's fourteen years old!! She's not old enough to date you! You're nineteen, remember! People will talk about you guys!" yelled Noaa'lan over the din of the packed halls.  
  
"That's just what I want them to do! Noaa'lan, what you've got to learn is that when you see a girl like that, you've just got to go for her!"  
  
"Even when she's got Raa'nlan for a father? You forget, K'aashi. She's the youngest daughter of an overprotective father. You'll lose your head!!" scolded Noaa'lan.  
  
Then, the loud clang of the bell sounded above the roar of the crowd in the hallway. The students immediately flocked to their separate classrooms, leaving the halls barren.  
  
"We'll talk more about this later. We've got to get to class real fast, or else they'll give us detention, or worse. . ." said Noaa'lan.  
  
"Kitchen duty. Gotcha. See you later, when we deliver J'aa'nalia to her next class," said K'aashi with a grin.  
  
"K'aashi, that's my job. I'll see you at lunch!"  
  
"All right! I'll see you, buddy," K'aashi said as he walked away.  
  
Noaa'lan frowned. K'aashi had promised Noaa'lan that he'd find him a girlfriend. However, now that Noaa'lan had found that girl that he was attracted to, K'aashi had decided that she was going to be his girlfriend. Noaa'lan couldn't believe that K'aashi had betrayed him like that, after all that talk of helping Noaa'lan out. Then, it dawned on him. What was he saying? Noaa'lan knew very well that he could never be with J'aa'nalia. Their family situation was difficult enough, and him having feelings for her would only compound the problems between the Narundis and the T'naa'lichis. Also, what evidence did he have that she even found him attractive? With his luck, she probably liked K'aashi. Still, Noaa'lan couldn't keep from thinking of her, and of the foolish hope that he might have a chance with her.  
  
Noaa'lan shook his head. 'Forget about it,' he thought. 'It's just that. Foolish.' He hefted his satchel up onto his shoulder, and hurried off to class. 


	5. Forbidden Love

Chapter Five  
  
"I do trust that all of you read the required summer reading books. I hope that you did so, because you all have a theme paper to be turned in for a grade, due at the end of this week," droned Professor S'aahai. " Well, nice of you to join us, Mr. Narundi. I'm certainly glad you decided to get a head start on your exemplary attendence record! You have detention with me this afternoon."  
  
Noaa'lan handed him the yellow piece of paper that his father had handed him, and took his seat next to K'aashi.  
  
"Oh, I suppose I'm required to excuse your lateness, just because you had to escort some freshman around here! Well, after practically living here for the past Fifteen years of your life, you should know your way around well enough to be on time. This is a sheet of paper saying you're a guide. It's not a hall pass. I'll see you this afternoon, Your Highness."  
  
Noaa'lan sighed as K'aashi laughed quietly at him from behind his stack of books.  
  
"Now, for those of you who weren't here, Noaa'lan, we were discussing what your first theme paper will be about. This year, if you've read your summer reading, you'd notice a very obvious recurring theme. That theme is "forbidden love". Hopefully, you'll be able to draw enough information about this theme, from the books, Mr. Taa'lani, to write your paper. It's due by the end of this standard week. Any questions?"  
  
"Yeah, Is there a sequel to "D'aanea and Paatr'lan"? I really enjoyed that storyline. They were just so romantic!" said a girl from the back row.  
  
"Why no, S'aalia, but I agree with you that there should have been. The ending does lend itself to a sequel. Does anybody have any comments about the relationship between those two characters?" asked the Professor.  
  
"What makes their relationship so forbidden? I mean, they seemed so perfect for each other! Long live true love, that's the way I see it!!" K'aashi exclaimed.  
  
"Maybe if you actually read the book, you'd know that they were cousins, K'aashilan." Professor S'aahai said, openly amused.  
  
A soft giggle erupted from the back of the room, and K'aashi turned around to see the brown haired girl in the back row smiling at him.  
  
He smiled back at her and gave her a slight wave. She beamed at him as she shyly brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. Then, K'aashi turned to Noaa'lan, and raised his eyebrows at him. He scribbled something down on a piece of paper, and handed it to Noaa'lan.  
  
Noaa'lan opened up the note. "What do you think of her?" it read.  
  
"She's pretty." Noaa'lan wrote back.  
  
"Do you think she'd go for me?" wrote K'aashi.  
  
Noaa'lan rolled his eyes at his friend. "Think of something else other than girls, K'aashi." he wrote.  
  
"Answer my question and I will!" was scrawled across the paper.  
  
Noaa'lan sighed and turned around. The young girl was still looking at K'aashi, but quickly turned away when she saw Noaa'lan look at her. He smiled and scribbled his reply. K'aashi reached out and grabbed the piece of paper.  
  
"I think that might be a possiblity. She's staring at you." wrote Noaa'lan.  
  
K'aashi grinned at his friend, and then he turned around again. The girl was staring ahead at the board again, but when she felt K'aashi's eyes on her, she turned to look at him. Her brown eyes stared into his blue ones, as if to say-  
  
"What are you looking at, K'aashi?" asked the Professor.  
  
K'aashi abruptly turned around to face the front of the room. He sat straight up, giving the professor his greatest attention.  
  
"Think of the grades you could get, if you paid as much attention to your studies as you did to girls like my niece, Mr. Taa'lani," said Professor S'aahai with a smirk.  
  
Now it was Noaa'lan's turn to laugh. K'aashi just glanced at his friend, with a look of disbelief on his face. It was hard to believe that Master S'aahai had any family. If he had any family, K'aashi had always believed that they were mutants, not this pretty girl in the back row. He stared straight ahead, baffled by this new discovery.  
  
K'aashi's thoughts were cut short by the bell, and he followed Noaa'lan as he bolted out of his chair, and raced into the hall. He could faintly hear Professor S'aahai reminding them of their paper that was due by the end of the week. He had almost caught up to Noaa'lan, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
K'aashi spun around to see the young brown-haired girl smiling at him. He smiled back, and introduced himself.  
  
"I think I caught your name, K'aashi. My uncle certainly said it enough times during class today." the girl said with a giggle.  
  
"Wow. So, he really is your uncle? That's. . .interesting," K'aashi said sardonicly.  
  
"Why? Is it too hard to believe that he might have had a brother who married?" asked the girl sharply.  
  
"No, it's too hard to believe that that brother was even remotely human, that's all. Professor S'aahai and I go back a long way. So, what's your name again?"  
  
"S'aalia S'aahai. I know, the name sounds funny-"  
  
"No, not at all. I must say, you're awfully beautiful to be the niece of Professor S'aahai," said K'aashi, and then he paused for a second. " You know, there's a Welcome Back dance coming up, and I was looking for a date. Are you doing anything this weekend?"  
  
"Not that I know of. I'll have to think about it, K'aashi," she said with a smile.  
  
"Hey, that's cool. So, I'll see you around, I guess." he said, beaming back at her. At that moment, Noaa'lan walked up to him.  
  
"Ready to get to our next classes?" he asked.  
  
"Ready. What happened to J'aa'nalia? I thought you had to take her with you." asked K'aashi.  
  
"Well, while you were flirting, I managed to drop her off, and get back here."  
  
"Jeez! Did you even talk to the poor girl!!? That's awful fast!" exclaimed K'aashi.  
  
"Wrong. You talked for longer than you thought you did. The bell's about to ring," Noaa'lan said.  
  
K'aashi nodded, and followed his friend, thinking only of S'aalia. This was certainly going to be a wonderful year. 


	6. Seeing Right Through You

Chapter Six  
  
Noaa'lan sat quietly across from his best friend at the lunch table. K'aashi just stared aimlessly into space. A smirk crossed Noaa'lan's face as he realized that K'aashi could be thinking of only one thing.  
  
"What are you thinking of, K'aashi? You're not normally this reserved," he commented.  
  
"Aaaahh, I'm just thinking about that paper we have to write," K'aashi said.  
  
Noaa'lan let out a snort, and then took a long sip from his drink.  
  
"Liar. I can see right though you, K'aashi. You know you can't lie to me. You're thinking about S'aalia, right?" Noaa'lan said with a smile.  
  
"Guilty as charged. I asked her to the dance, you know," replied K'aashi.  
  
"What dance?" asked Noaa'lan with a confused look on his face.  
  
"Man, until today you really were quite naive about social events! You didn't even pay any attention to picking up chicks, or where the best parties were!! Noaa'lan, I'm starting to get ashamed to call you my best buddy!! We're just totally opposite!!" cried K'aashi.  
  
"K'aashi, who even said that I started caring about girls today??"  
  
"Like you said, I can see right through you. You like Ms. T'naa'lichi. I know it. You're stupid to fall in love with her, but I know you're thinking about it. We might make a lover out of you yet!!" proclaimed K'aashi.  
  
"Ha!! I told you, K'aashi. I'm here for one reason, and one reason only! I'm here to become a jedi master!" hissed Noaa'lan. "Speaking of which, what did you think about today's lesson??"  
  
"Hmmm. Advanced energy absorption. You know, that's not my forte. If that little blast of energy was too tough to handle, then I bet I'd have a lot of trouble warding off a full blast from a dark-sider," said K'aashi.  
  
"K'aashi, you know as well as I do that there are ways to get around your weaknesses. You're very good at telekenisis. You can deflect the blast before it gets to you," Noaa'lan said after finishing a mouthful of his sandwich.  
  
"Speak for yourself! You can do just about anything! The Narundis have almost unlimited power! No wonder they've got this huge dynasty that spans almost a hundred generations!" K'aashi whined.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. You can complain about my family all you want, but I don't control my lineage," groaned Noaa'lan.  
  
"What, are you saying that you would have rather not been born the crown prince of a huge, powerful dynasty?" asked K'aashi.  
  
"It's a big responsability, one that involves being forced to do things that maybe I'm not interested in, like control an entire galaxy, and to marry," he said.  
  
"Whoa. Tell me you're not interested in finding a wife, Noaa'lan," K'aashi said with a shocked look on his face.  
  
"When I say marriage, I mean an arranged marriage. I don't want to get forced into marrying the "suitor" that my parents choose. After all, the suitor that my grandfather chose for my father really messed up things between him and his best friend! If there weren't arranged marriages in this family, then I could date J'aa'nalia, no problem!" Noaa'lan complained, rambling on.  
  
"Or you could marry her. Noaa'lan, I've got great faith in you!" joked K'aashi.  
  
"Shut up, K'aashi!!" said Noaa'lan with a scowl. He threw a piece of his dessert at his friend. "Rub it in, why don't you, you raving h'aaliki- bat!!!"  
  
"At least she's nobility! Your father wouldn't allow you to associate yourself with anyone who wasn't of noble birth," K'aashi teased.  
  
"You're not of noble birth, and he lets me associate with you, doesn't he??" stated Noaa'lan.  
  
"You know what I mean. A suitor. She'd have to be of noble birth to be allowed to marry you. Even your mother was a princess. No wonder she ended up marrying your father instead of Raan'lan T'naa'lichi. It's all about power and money in this galaxy," said K'aashi bluntly.  
  
"Ahh, wherever there are creatures that can reason, the evils of power struggles and money will reign supreme even over the strongest dynasty," Noaa'lan said with conviction.  
  
"Amen to that! I'll be happy just as long as I can buy cool stuff. Did you hear that they have that new holographic novel?"  
  
"No way! They finally have issue #37 of the Chathnar Chronicles out!!? I've been waiting for that all summer!! Where did you see it!?!" asked Noaa'lan excitedly.  
  
"I got it at Holoworld. I have it right here in my bag-" said K'aashi with a grin.  
  
"Give it to me!! I want to see the cover!!" exclaimed Noaa'lan.  
  
"No way! Get your own, Noaa'lan. Man, you crown princes just expect everybody to bow to your will!! You're just so conceited!! Jeez!!" K'aashi said sarcastically as he handed Noaa'lan the book.  
  
"Wow, that is some great artwork on the cover. I think that's R'aahana's best one yet!! He's just the greatest, don't you think??" said Noaa'lan.  
  
"You know, I pay more attention to what's in the book, generally," K'aashi said dryly.  
  
"I was just getting to that!! So, what's this story about, Space Pirates? The Sith?? Smugglers?" asked Noaa'lan.  
  
"No, it's about these two Jedi Masters who get sent on a mission from Chathnar to rescue this beautiful princess and her handmaiden from the clutches of a Sith Magician. I didn't get very far, though," said K'aashi.  
  
"Too busy cramming in all of your summer reading that you neglected to do until yesterday??" asked Noaa'lan with a smirk.  
  
"I guess you could say that. I just can't get over the fact that S'aalia is the niece of the "Stiff Professor"!! It just really bugs me!! I can't believe that that family is human!! You'd think that they were android or something, with the way that S'aahai lacks emotions!!" K'aashi said while seething.  
  
"Easy, my friend. She seems human enough. If you can come across to her as something other than a crazy woman-hunter, then you might actually have a chance with her!!" Noaa'lan laughed.  
  
"I'm not that bad, am I?? No, this year, you're going to see a new K'aashi. I'm going to behave myself, just you wait!!"  
  
"This will last all of ten seconds, until the next girl comes walking by," Noaa'lan muttered.  
  
"I heard that," K'aashi said as he gave his friend a good whack on the arm.  
  
Noaa'lan burst out laughing, as his friend continued to wail on him. Then, he heard the sound of a tray being set down beside him.  
  
"Can I sit here, Noaa'lan?" asked J'aa'nalia in a soft voice.  
  
"Sure you can, if you don't mind two teenage boys talking about stupid stuff," Noaa'lan replied.  
  
"What makes you think it's stupid stuff?? I happen to take my girl- watching very seriously!!" K'aashi said with a hurt expression on his face.  
  
"Oooh, so who's the lucky girl that K'aashi's in love with?" asked J'aa'nalia with a smile.  
  
"The question isn't "Who is the lucky girl?", it's "Who isn't the lucky girl", J'aa'nalia," Noaa'lan said, chuckling to himself.  
  
J'aa'nalia gave him a sweet giggle and a smile that could brighten anybody's day. For an instant, Noaa'lan was just stunned, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.  
  
"You know, my friends and family call me "J'aa'nie". You guys can call me that, if you like," said said.  
  
"Sure thing, J'aa'nie. Hey, listen, Noaa'lan. We've gotta' go, because our next class is all the way across campus, and you don't want to get another detention, do you??"  
  
"Uh. . .no, no I don't," Noaa'lan said as he quickly snapped out of his haze. "Bye, J'aa'nie. I'll see you later. Next class, all right??"  
  
"Yeah. Bye, Noaa'lan," she said with a soft smile.  
  
Noaa'lan walked away with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. K'aashi could barely keep up with his pace.  
  
"Slow down, Noaa'lan! If you're not in love with her, I'll eat my hat!!" K'aashi yelled.  
  
"Sorry, K'aashi. I guess I just got carried away by the moment. She's just so cute!!" Noaa'lan said wistfully.  
  
"Noaa'lan, that kind of cute is called "dangerous", as in "Raa'nlan T'naa'lichi cuts off your head if he sees you with his daughter" dangerous. I'd suggest that you stay away." K'aashi warned.  
  
"If I recall, you were thinking about dating her just this morning, weren't you, K'aashi?" Noaa'lan said, raising his eyebrows at his best friend.  
  
"Well now, I'm not a Narundi, am I?" K'aashi said matter-of-factly.  
  
"No, you're not," Noaa'lan said glumly. He sighed quietly to himself as he walked down to his locker. His ancestry was beginning to cause more problems for him than it was worth. He knew what most people did not. Being a Narundi wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. However, Noaa'lan was stubborn, and he wasn't about to give up his quest for love, just because of some stupid feud. Narundi or not, he would find a way to be with J'aa'nie. 


	7. A Strange Request

Chapter Seven  
  
How was your detention, Noaa'lan?" Asked K'aashi with a grin.  
  
"Uggh. Professor S'aahai gave me one of those famous "responsibility" talks. Man, he sure knows how to torture his students!!" Groaned Noaa'lan.  
  
The two boys were interrupted by the rustling of branches in the tree above their heads. They watched as a mop-headed boy dropped down right in front of them. He grinned at the thought of having surprised them.  
  
"Ha! Did I scare you guys?"  
  
"No, and for the last time, Kahl'aan, you know how mother feels about you climbing the trees around the palace!" Warned Noaa'lan.  
  
"Well, mother and father are pretty upset with you right about now. You said that you'd help father with those plans for the interplanetary conference!" Kahl'aan said with a scowl.  
  
"Well, if you must know, I had detention today, after school, and I was unable to assist him with that until now," Noaa'lan informed his brother.  
  
"Oh. S'aahai again, I take it. Man, he sure hates you, Noaa'lan, but not as much as he hates K'aashi here, am I right??" Kahl'aan said with a sneer.  
  
"Shut up, pipsqueak. If all goes according to plan, I might be part of his family," K'aashi said, messing up Kahl'aan's hair.  
  
"Stop treating me like I was a little kid!! One day, I'll be big and powerful, and I'll be able to kick both of your butts!!" yelled Kahl'aan.  
  
"Oooohh. Your little brother's got some angry attitude here, Noaa'lan!! Watch out, Kahl'aan. The dark side doesn't care if you're royalty or not," Said K'aashi.  
  
Kahl'aan just frowned and squinted his bright blue eyes at K'aashi. "I'll never turn to the dark side. I'm not evil."  
  
"No, you're not. You're just Noaa'lan's crazy little brother, right Noaa'lan?" Laughed K'aashi.  
  
"Uh, K'aashi, he's got a name, right Kahl'aan?" Noaa'lan said with a smile.  
  
"That's right, Noaa'lan, and your friend better remember it!! I'm sixteen years old, not six!!" Kahl'aan said adamantly. "So, what did you mean by Professor S'aahai being your FAMILY!!? Man, there's a laugh if I ever heard one!!"  
  
"Well, it just so happens that I have a bit of a crush on his niece," K'aashi said with a grin.  
  
"Uh-oh, you better be on the lookout for S'aahai with a blaster!" Kahl'aan taunted, and then added with a sneer, "You can bet that he won't set it to stun!! He'll shoot you right in the butt!! Chooom!! Ha ha!!"  
  
"Get back here, you little Kish'aa monkey!!" Cried K'aashi as he chased after Kahl'aan, who had exited quickly after delivering the insult.  
  
Noaa'lan just shook his head as he followed the two inside. Kahl'aan was a master at annoying people. When he was younger, everybody assumed that he'd grow out of it. Everybody but Kahl'aan. He'd fine-tuned his skills until "annoying people" became a true art form. K'aashi didn't live with him enough to be able to ignore his incessant badgering. However, Noaa'lan knew the one thing that could shut Kahl'aan up. Food.  
  
"Kahl'aan, I'll make you your favorite dinner if you'll stop pissing off K'aashi!" Noaa'lan yelled over the din of K'aashi and Kahl'aan fighting.  
  
"What do you mean I'M pissing him off!!? He's- OW!!!- he's the one who's beating me up!!" Cried Kahl'aan.  
  
"Ok, then. I'll make you both dinner if you stop fighting!!" Noaa'lan said.  
  
K'aashi and Kahl'aan looked at each other with grins on their faces, knowing that the only reason why they fought was to get a free meal. That was always all right with Noaa'lan. The crown prince had quite a knack for cooking, and he always took every opportunity to do so.  
  
"All right. I'm ready for some nice N'aanwarian native cuisine. There's always the best food waiting for me in the Narundi kitchen, right Kahl'aan?" Exclaimed K'aashi.  
  
"I live here. You get used to it," Kahl'aan said nonchalantly.  
  
"Come on, Kahl'aan! You can't say that you don't absolutely LOVE your brother's cooking!!?" Said K'aashi.  
  
"I don't get it often, so I really do like it. Mother and Father don't like him doing manual work," Explained Kahl'aan.  
  
"Since when was cooking manual work?? I'd call it more of an art," K'aashi said firmly.  
  
"They think it's not the kind of work that a crown prince should be doing, but I find it to be a relaxing hobby, really. It's not work at all," Said Noaa'lan.  
  
"Well, cook me up some sea sn'aala, with that special seasoning you use! I think we have some in the icebox," Demanded Kahl'aan.  
  
"Right away, your highness," Noaa'lan said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at his brother. "You can at least help me by getting your own dishes!"  
  
A beeping sound cut through the silent kitchen, as the comm. unit sprung to life. Noaa'lan washed off his hands, and accessed the transmission.  
  
On the screen stood J'aa'nalia, wearing a different dress, the color of wine. She smiled when she saw Noaa'lan, but he could tell from the look in her eyes that she was upset about something.  
  
"Hey, J'aa'nie. What's the matter?" Noaa'lan asked, giving her a warm smile.  
  
"Well, you're going to think I'm crazy, but. . .um. . .I'm kinda' homesick," She said, trying to return his smile. The look on her face was more of a grimace than a smile, and she looked like she was about to cry.  
  
"Shhhh, don't worry J'aa'nie! I don't think you're crazy! Everybody gets homesick sometimes," Noaa'lan said, reassuring her. "Hey, I'll tell you what. I'll take you to see your family tonight, all right?"  
  
"Oh, thank you so much, Noaa'lan! It's just that I've never been away from home before, and I really miss my family." J'aa'nalia gushed.  
  
"I understand. When do you want to visit them??"  
  
"Uh. . .can you take me over now??" She asked hopefully.  
  
"Right now isn't a very good time for me. I've got my parents mad at me for being late, and I have two hungry teenagers waiting for me to cook them something to eat," Noaa'lan said.  
  
"You do the cooking in your family?? Don't you have a servant who does it for you??" J'aa'nalia asked with interest.  
  
"Yeah, we do have a cook, but K'aashi and Kahl'aan like my cooking better. It's just a hobby of mine, that's all," Noaa'lan said, blushing. "It would be easier if I were to pick you up after dark, that way we wouldn't be seen by any of the resident advisors."  
  
"That's fine with me, Noaa'lan," J'aa'nalia said with a smile.  
  
"Who the heck are you talking to Noaa'lan, and where's my dinner!!?" Kahl'aan yelled as he gave Noaa'lan a punch in the arm.  
  
"Ow! Hey, mind your own business! This is a private transmission!"  
  
Kahl'aan scowled at his brother, and then at the screen. His scowl quickly melted into a sneer.  
  
"Imagine that. Somebody of the female persuasion actually calling my brother! This is a momentous occasion indeed!"  
  
Noaa'lan shot his brother a "drop dead" warning look. Kahl'aan had seen that look enough times to know what it meant.  
  
"Um, I'll leave the two of you alone now, so you can smooch the screen!!" Kahl'aan laughed, making kissy faces at his brother. He bolted out of the room before Noaa'lan could lay a hand on him.  
  
"I'm sorry, J'aa'nie. My brother. . .he's got some problems with his manners. He constantly annoys everyone around here. I'm sorry he picked on you," Noaa'lan said, his face turning red.  
  
"That's ok. I used to do the same thing to my older sisters when they talked to boys. I think it has something to do with being the youngest in the family. We get our kicks by bugging people!" She said with a laugh. "So, I'll see you tonight??"  
  
"At sundown," Noaa'lan said with a nod.  
  
"All right. I'll see you then, Noaa'lan. Bye!"  
  
"Bye," He said, and then he switched off the transmission.  
  
"I thought you'd learned your lesson. I guess not," K'aashi said with a grin as he approached Noaa'lan from the corner of the room.  
  
"What? I'm just giving her a ride to her home, so she can see her parents! What's wrong with that??" Noaa'lan asked.  
  
"Kahl'aan said that you were flirting with her," K'aashi said with a frown.  
  
"K'aashi!!! You believe Kahl'aan's word over mine?? You know that he makes up stuff!! Listen, for the last time, there is NOTHING going on between J'aa'nie and me! NOTHING! I'm doing her a favor!!" Noaa'lan cried.  
  
"All right! I believe you! Calm down, because the more time you spend talking, the less time you spend cooking my dinner!!" K'aashi said with a grin.  
  
"Oh, why don't you learn to cook it yourself!!?"  
  
"I tried that once, remember? Fifth grade?? You parents sure were pissed at us for messing up your kitchen!!" K'aashi laughed.  
  
"That just shows you that you still can learn to cook. I wasn't very good back then, either," Noaa'lan pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, but you actually LIKE to cook. I don't."  
  
Noaa'lan sighed as he placed the newly thawed out sea creature on a black cooking platter. He added the spices and placed it into the oven. Noaa'lan then frowned as he realized he was still in his school clothes. His parents would be upset if they knew he'd been hanging around the kitchen in his nice clothing.  
  
"K'aashi, you watch the food and take it out when the oven beeps, all right?? I have to go change." Noaa'lan said.  
  
"Yeah, you go ahead and change into your party clothes, because you've got a hot date tonight!!" Kahl'aan yelled from the other room.  
  
Noaa'lan rolled his eyes at K'aashi, and then exited the kitchen up the back stairs. The palace was full of secret passageways, and almost all of the rooms had some sort of hiding place or another. The secret stairway leading down to the kitchen from the dining hall was always one of his favorites. The walls were covered with intricate stone carvings and statues depicting the war where, generations ago, the N'aanwarians won their independence from their cat-like oppressors. Half-human, Half cat, N'aanwarians were regarded as the lowest of the lower class, and used to build gigantic temples to the sea god, El'aanus. Then, one day, an ancestor of Noaa'lan's, whose name was Lan'aalai Narundi, discovered from a lonely street urchin that he had a great power inside him, the power of the force. Lan'aalai worked hard to develop his power, and in time he helped to develop that power in his fellow N'aanwarians, for it seemed that being a jedi was an innate ability for most of them. Then, the N'aanwarians, with Lan'aalai as their general, led a slave revolt on the Ten'aaha Empire. In one of the biggest bloodbaths in the history of this planet, the N'aanwarians were victorious over their enemies. They renamed their planet N'aanwaria, for they were proud of their ethnic heritage. As the millennia went by, N'aanwarians became more and more human, and less cat-like. Only the darksiders displayed their cat-like features, which appeared with strong, primal emotions, such as anger and fear. Noaa'lan ran his fingers across the carving of one of the Ten'aahas, marveling at the ferocity of the creature. The dim light of the hololamps flickered, casting shadows across the wall which caused the carvings to jump out at Noaa'lan. The most interesting one was of his ancestor, who stood there, clad in only a slave's tunic with some rags covering his feet. He brandished an ancient lightsaber, and in his other paw he held a long staff with a sharp blade on the end. The G'aanha was originally a tool used for cutting stones when building the temples, but the N'aanwarians used it, along with their make- shift lightsabers, to cleave their opponents in half during battle. As a boy, Noaa'lan had looked up at Lan'aalai with deep admiration. From that angle, Lan'aalai had looked powerful, almost menacing with the scowl he wore across his face. Now, Noaa'lan stood eye to eye with the carving, and he noticed that Lan'aalai wasn't scowling at all. His face was still powerful, but his lips were firmly pressed together in a straight line. Noaa'lan thought for an instant that he could detect a small amount of fear in the statue's eyes.  
  
'Of course he'd be afraid,' Noaa'lan thought. 'What he did was both amazing and crazy at the same time!! He took a tremendous chance when he declared war on the Ten'aaha!'  
  
Noaa'lan exited the dark stairway, blinking as he entered into the bright light of the dining room. His mother was waiting for him.  
  
"Down in the kitchen cooking again, I take it," Bel'aanaea said with a knowing smile.  
  
"I know. I'm not supposed to be cooking, especially when I'm wearing my school clothes-"  
  
"Just hurry up and change before your father sees you, Noaa'lan," Said his mother.  
  
Noaa'lan smiled at her, and then he turned around and bounded up the stairs to his room. His mother was always so understanding, much more so than his father. His father would have probably scolded him, and then taken away some of Noaa'lan's privileges, starting with his landspeeder. Noaa'lan didn't want that, because he needed that speeder to sneak out of the academy with J'aa'nalia tonight.  
  
As he walked into his room, Noaa'lan tripped over what appeared to be a pile of clothes. Nobody, not even Noaa'lan, could navigate his room in the dark and not trip over something. He turned the lights up a notch, just enough so he could see what clothes he was about to put on. He decided on a plain white shirt and a pair of wrinkled slacks that were among the piles on the floor, and, after confirming that they didn't smell bad, put them on and headed down the stairs. Halfway down, he realized that he had forgotten to put on shoes. That was always ok with Noaa'lan, because he had spent most of his childhood walking barefoot through the halls of the palace. However, it wasn't all right with his father, who stood waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Where are your shoes?" His father asked, scolding him on his appearance.  
  
" I was just. . -"  
  
"-Going down to the kitchen, yes I know that. More the reason why you should have some shoes on your feet!"  
  
"Father, I have to get down there before K'aashi screws up the roast!" Noaa'lan said, not realizing his error until after he had blurted out the words.  
  
"Ah, so you were down there with your school clothes on. Noaa'lan, if I'm going to let you cook in this house, you're going to have to abide by my rules. Understand?" Cel'aanaeus said firmly. Noaa'lan nodded. It was no use arguing with his father. He didn't want to get into further trouble than he already was.  
  
"How was your first day of school?" Noaa'lan's father asked with interest.  
  
"Ugggh. It was stressful!! I don't think I've walked that much in a very long time! Plus, Professor S'aahai gave me a detention!!" Noaa'lan said with a groan.  
  
"What was J'aa'nalia like? Was she polite to you, or did her father's prejudices get in the way?"  
  
"Actually, I have no complaints about her. She's sweet, polite, and she's also much nicer than I'd expected!"  
  
"Ah, yes. You didn't actually think that all of the T'naa'lichis were as thick-headed as her father, did you??" Cel'aanaeus said with a chuckle.  
  
"What's her old man actually like? Why does he hate you?" Noaa'lan asked earnestly.  
  
"He's stubborn, sharp-tongued, and very over-protective of his daughters. Especially J'aa'nalia. She's the baby of the family, and sending her here was the last thing that he wanted to do. He didn't have much of a choice, once her mother died. He said that a friend of his recommended the Academy to him, and said that J'aa'nalia would have a great time here. We were all too willing to help him out, something that I'm sure he was very uneasy about."  
  
"She's a little homesick right now. I didn't know that her mother died! It must be horrible to go away from home after something like that happens!" Noaa'lan exclaimed.  
  
Cel'aanaeus smiled at his son. Noaa'lan was one of the most empathetic people he'd ever known, and he had a very tender heart. Still, Noaa'lan's sensitive nature had been known to affect his judgment in the past, and his father knew it could be one of his greatest weaknesses. He decided it was best to keep a close watch on his son, just in case Noaa'lan became too sentimental with regard to J'aa'nalia.  
  
"I'm sure that you'll think of something to remedy that," Cel'aanaeus said, beaming at his son. "You always were the people person in this family. Now, why don't you go back upstairs, get some shoes on, and hurry down to the kitchen! I don't want K'aashi making a mess out of it!"  
  
"Yes father," Noaa'lan said, nodding his head. Then, he raced up the stairs to his room, smiling secretly to himself. His father hadn't taken his privileges away after all. His heart pounded at the thought of the danger he and J'aa'nie would be facing when they sneaked out of the academy late that night. The danger of getting caught was almost always half the fun.  
  
"He seems excited," Bel'aanaea whispered softly as she wrapped her arms around Cel'aanaeus' shoulders.  
  
"Yes indeed," Cel'aanaeus muttered, leaning back to kiss her cheek. "After nineteen years of getting to know Noaa'lan, I'd say that was cause for alarm, don't you?"  
  
"Oh, stop it, you!!" Bel'aanaea said, smacking him on the shoulder. "Our son has the right to be excited without being scrutinized!"  
  
"Yes, you're right. Say, do you think Noaa'lan made enough food for us too?"  
  
"I don't know. Lets go find out, shall we?" Bel'aanaea said, taking his hand and leading him down the passageway to the kitchen. 


	8. Sneaking Out

Chapter Eight  
  
Noaa'lan rapped softly on J'aa'nalia's door, so as not to wake up any of the guards or Residence Assistants.  
  
"Who is it?" She asked as she peered through the crack with her almond-shaped eyes.  
  
"It's just me, Noaa'lan." He said, but she had already opened the door for him.  
  
"Come on in. I just have to get my coat," she said, and disappeared into an adjacent room. Her roommate stared at Noaa'lan, confused as to how J'aa'nalia could have met the crown prince when it was her first day at the Academy. Noaa'lan could understand the question that the girl's eyes were asking him.  
  
"I'm her senior guide. It's my job to make sure she's as comfortable as possible here," He replied. The young girl smirked, and then went back to doing her homework.  
  
"All right," J'aa'nalia said as she reentered the room, wearing a long blue cloak. "Lets go."  
  
"Wait! Where are you going? It's after lights-out!" Her roommate protested, but J'aa'nalia was already herding Noaa'lan out the door. She motioned to her roommate to be quiet as they slipped out the door into the night.  
  
"So, do you know how we're going to get out of here?" J'aa'nalia asked. Her face was very difficult to distinguish in the dim light from N'aanwaria's three small moons. "Wow, this place is crawling with guards!"  
  
"Yes, it sure is. That's why the most difficult part of the journey is going to be getting to the docking bay without being detected." Noaa'lan said while peering out across the quad.  
  
"I have an idea. Why don't we use the force to come across as guards? They wouldn't stop us then!" She said with a devious smile.  
  
Noaa'lan grinned at the young girl. She might fit in with K'aashi and him after all!  
  
"Good idea, J'aa'nalia." Noaa'lan said, and abruptly his appearance changed to a shorter, stockier N'aanwarian male of middle age.  
  
J'aa'nalia also took on the image of a male royal guard. The guard's features were bland, so that no one would remember them if they tried to describe him.  
  
"Lets go," Noaa'lan whispered, and he led the way across the campus to the landing grid. The two of them were able to walk unnoticed with their new disguises, and they talked casually amongst themselves so they'd draw even less attention.  
  
"I'm sorry about what happened to your mother." Noaa'lan said softly. "I didn't know about that until today, when my father told me."  
  
J'aa'nalia gave him a forced smile, and he could tell that it wasn't a good time to bring up that topic. He quickly switched to a different discussion.  
  
"So, do you think K'aashi will ever get a date with S'aalia?"  
  
"Who's S'aalia?" J'aa'nalia asked.  
  
"Oh, she was that girl he was hitting on this afternoon when I took you to your last class. Remember? That girl with the golden-brown hair," He said.  
  
"Yeah, I remember her. She seemed nice. If I remember correctly, K'aashi was hitting on ME this morning! So, as an answer to your question, yes, I do think he'll get with her. However, it will be for a very short duration of time, specifically the amount of time it takes for the next pretty girl to walk by!!" J'aa'nalia said candidly.  
  
"Wow! You really are perceptive!! It took me the better part of two years to realize why K'aashi could never keep a date!! He's not very into monogamy, and I have yet to see a girl that could cause him to go that way!"  
  
"What about you? What's your dating style?" She asked, giving him a furtive smile.  
  
"Well, I don't seem to have one yet. I've never dated before," He said shyly.  
  
"You're kidding me!! Isn't your father just a little bit upset with you??"  
  
"Well, no. Unfortunately, the crown prince still has an arranged marriage, and I don't think it matters whether I love someone or not. Besides, K'aashi's dated enough girls for the both of us!!" Noaa'lan said with a chuckle.  
  
"Man, that stinks!" J'aa'nalia mused softly. "That really stinks!! Why do you let him do that to you?? Doesn't he realize that you have feelings just like everybody else??"  
  
"Oh, he cares about me. He just believes that an arranged marriage is the best thing for me! It's really stupid, because even Kahl'aan doesn't have to have an arranged marriage! He doesn't even care if he marries! I guess that the Narundi men are horrible at selecting a mate, so it's a good thing that we have arranged marriages!" Noaa'lan ranted.  
  
"You're telling me that you've never even been attracted to anyone!?" J'aa'nalia exclaimed.  
  
"I've thought that girls were cute and everything, but I never actually got up the courage to tell them about it, because I knew it was pointless, J'aa'nie. Why bother with dating when you're going to have an arranged marriage anyway?"  
  
"Have you ever thought that maybe if you showed your father that you COULD find a mate of your own, he'd forget about all of that traditional stuff??" J'aa'nalia suggested, smiling warmly.  
  
Noaa'lan thought about this for a second. It did seem like a good idea, but the only girl that was in any way attractive to him was standing right in front of him. He knew what the consequences of falling in love with her were.  
  
"I'll have to think about that. It just might work . . ." Noaa'lan said, trailing off.  
  
The two of them reached Noaa'lan's landspeeder, and he fired up the engines. Before long, the two of them were speeding across the night sky, away from the palace and toward the outskirts of Freedom City. During the trip, J'aa'nalia became a lot more open about her mother's death. She explained that the reason why she was attending Narundi Academy on a scholarship was because her family had spent most of its fortune on her mother's medical expenses. Her father had been left with so little that they could barely get by, and he was forced to go to work elsewhere. He reluctantly sent J'aa'nalia, his last child living at home, to Narundi Academy, because he couldn't teach her anymore. As she told her story, Noaa'lan could sense J'aa'nie's sadness, and he put a hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him and told him that she was grateful for the help that he was giving her. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and told her that if she needed anything she could count on him.  
  
Noaa'lan set the landspeeder down outside J'aa'nalia's home in the suburbs of Freedom City. He turned to tell J'aa'nalia that he was impressed by her family's landscaping. However, she'd already forgotten that he was there, and was running toward the door.  
  
Almost as if he'd been expecting her, her father opened the door, and she ran to embrace him. She clung tightly to him and began to sob. For a good five minutes she did nothing but cry on his shoulder, and he stroked her hair gently. Noaa'lan wasn't sure if he should even approach the two of them. It just seemed like the wrong time.  
  
"Shhhhh. It's ok, J'aa'nie. Really. Is it really that bad at Narundi Academy? Are those evil Narundis giving you a hard time?" R'aa'nlan said softly to his daughter.  
  
"No! They're being really nice to me, believe me! I . . .I just missed you so much!! I've never been away from you for all of the years I've been alive!" J'aa'nalia cried.  
  
"But they're treating you nice, aren't they?" R'aa'nlan said in a gruff voice.  
  
"I've only met one of them, but he seems to be a pretty decent guy," J'aa'nalia whispered.  
  
"J'aa'nie, all of the Narundis seem to be decent when you first meet them, but that's only an act! They use niceness as a disguise so they can take advantage of people who have less power than they do! The Narundis are nothing but a bunch of thieving scoundrels, that's what they are! You're best to stay away from them!" R'aa'nlan warned angrily.  
  
Noaa'lan was trying to keep a low profile so he wouldn't disturb the two of them, but R'aa'nlan's accusations made his blood boil.  
  
R'aa'nlan turned his head when he sensed Noaa'lan's agitation.  
  
"Is that the nice young man who took you home?"  
  
"Yeah, it is," J'aa'nalia said sheepishly. "So, have you heard anything from D'laanie about her baby?" She asked, trying to change the subject. She didn't want her father to come into direct contact with Noaa'lan, because she knew that he couldn't refrain from taking cracks at him. R'aa'nlan sensed that she was trying to change the subject.  
  
"Well, I'd like to meet this fine young man who gave up part of his night's sleep to usher you around." R'aa'nlan boomed. "Come here, boy!" Noaa'lan felt his throat go dry at the thought of meeting R'aa'nlan. He thought about putting on a force generated disguise. No. R'aa'nlan would easily see that he was hiding something. There was nothing that he could do but come closer, into the light of the porch.  
  
"My my, you're a mighty fine young gentleman for taking my daughter over here this late at night," He said. "What's your name, boy?"  
  
Noaa'lan looked up, straight into R'aa'nlan's eyes. His blue eyes bore deep into R'aa'nlan's. R'aa'nlan's smile quickly melted into a frown, and Noaa'lan knew that he had immediately recognized him.  
  
"Noaa'lan Narundi," R'aa'nlan said grimly. "I should have known that your father would appoint you as her guide. Did he arrange for you to bring her home?"  
  
"No. He doesn't know that either one of us has left the Academy," Noaa'lan said flatly.  
  
"Ah, but he will, if he doesn't already. Your father always knows everything," R'aa'nlan said, the sarcasm evident in his voice. "Still, I applaud your efforts! If I've heard correctly, you're quite a devious one. Always sneaking around behind your parents' backs. Doing things that they tell you not to. Yes, Narundi. You and I are going to get along just fine!!" R'aa'nlan laughed as he clapped Noaa'lan on the shoulder, but Noaa'lan could tell that R'aa'nlan liked him no more than he liked his father. His eyes shot daggers at Noaa'lan, and he could see the hatred in them.  
  
"Now, go away, Narundi. I want to have a private moment to speak with my daughter," R'aa'nlan hissed as the frown returned to his face. Noaa'lan nodded and returned quietly to his speeder. Things definitely were getting worse and worse today. Noaa'lan sat silently in the darkness and longed for the comfort of his sleeping pallet back home.  
  
He woke to the sound of J'aa'nalia jumping into the seat next to him.  
  
"Ready to go?" She asked, excitedly.  
  
"Sure. Are you feeling better?" Noaa'lan asked with concern.  
  
J'aa'nalia nodded, and he could sense that she wasn't homesick anymore. He could see that she had a new determination in her eyes when she smiled at him. Noaa'lan fired up the repulsar lifts, and the speeder lifted up off the ground. Then, the landspeeder rocketed off through the night, back toward the Academy.  
  
"My father told me to thank you for bringing me home," She said, interrupting the silence of the speeder-ride.  
  
"Hey, it's no problem for me. I just wish he didn't know that I was the one who was taking you around. I don't think he liked me that much," Noaa'lan muttered.  
  
"No, I think he treated you pretty decently, for a Narundi. He really hates your father. If your father would have dropped me off, I'm sure that my father would have picked a fight almost instantly! I mean, he smiled at you! And thanked you!" J'aa'nalia exclaimed, obviously amazed by what had happened.  
  
Noaa'lan couldn't believe it himself. He could tell that R'aa'nlan still harbored resentment toward his father, but on the outside he seemed almost friendly. Maybe it would take some time, but Noaa'lan hoped he could show R'aa'nlan that not all of the Narundis were horrible people. He still wished he knew what it was that happened between R'aa'nlan and his father, and he wanted to see if J'aa'nalia knew anything about it. He looked over to ask her, but she had already fallen asleep in the passenger's seat. He decided to let her sleep.  
  
"Wake up. We're here," Noaa'lan whispered. J'aa'nalia opened up her eyes and stretched.  
  
"You better put back on your disguise, because we don't want to be detected by anybody," He said, and then transformed back into the Royal Guard he'd been earlier that night. She quickly followed suit, and the two of them walked quickly away from the landing grid toward J'aa'nalia's dorm. The two of them were almost home-free, and even Noaa'lan couldn't believe that they'd managed to sneak out undetected. They were about to cross the quad when Noaa'lan sensed someone was coming. He motioned for J'aa'nalia to keep herself out of sight, and he peered around the corner of one of the immense stone buildings.  
  
There, in the dim moonlight, stood ten Royal Guards and the King himself. Cel'aanaeus Narundi seemed very perturbed as he led the guards on a search of the campus. His hair looked disheveled, and Noaa'lan could tell that his father had awoken from a sound sleep with the feeling that something just wasn't right. He knew that the person they were looking for wasn't J'aa'nalia. He had to think of another way to reach her dorm, because their disguises weren't foolproof.  
  
"It's my father," He whispered softly through clenched teeth. "Got any good plans now??"  
  
"Well," She said, pondering the situation. "We could always make a run for it"  
  
"Great idea," Noaa'lan whispered back, rolling his eyes. Still, he couldn't think of a better one, and he decided to go once his father left the area.  
  
Once the king was fully out of sight, Noaa'lan took J'aa'nie by the hand and the two of them raced across the quad. Noaa'lan could feel his heart pumping in his throat from the adrenaline.  
  
'This is certainly proving to be a much more difficult experience than I'd bargained for,' Thought Noaa'lan as his fear of getting caught caused him to run faster. Surprisingly, J'aa'nie managed to keep up with him every step of the way. The two of them reached her front door and then collapsed against the wall, laughing and gasping to catch their breaths.  
  
"Wow! That sure was fun, wasn't it?? We should try that again sometime!" J'aa'nalia said while gasping for breath.  
  
"I don't know if I want to go through that again for a little while. I think I should at least tell my father where I'm going," Noaa'lan said with a smile.  
  
"NO! You won't be allowed to bring me home if you tell him!" She said, giving him a hurt look.  
  
"Well, if he finds out that I've been going around behind his back, then he'll be even less likely to let me take you to see your father!" He said, slowly standing back up again.  
  
"We'll just play it a day at a time, ok? Anyways, thanks for taking me home, Noaa'lan," She said as Noaa'lan helped her to her feet. "I really appreciate it . . ." She whispered, trailing off.  
  
"Hey, don't mention it," Noaa'lan said, smiling at her. He was about to say goodnight, but then he noticed the look that she was giving him. Her hazel eyes gazed up into his bright blue ones. It wasn't the look of admiration and gratitude that a freshman might give to a senior who helped her out, but one of seduction that a young woman would give to the man that she loved. Noaa'lan knew all too well what was about to happen, yet he found himself powerless to her gaze. She slid her hands along his chest and brought them to rest on his shoulders. Her eyes looked up, trying to confirm whether this was all right with him, but all Noaa'lan could do was stare deeper into her soft green eyes. The two of them leaned in, and their lips met. They kissed gently at first, but passion overpowered them. Noaa'lan had long since forgotten where he was, or what he was supposed to be doing. All he could feel was her lips pressing against his, her fingers running through his hair, her body becoming intertwined with his . . .  
  
'You're a dead man!' Noaa'lan's mind yelled at him, jolting him back to reality. 'R'aa'nlan is going to kill you for this!!'  
  
"J'aa'nie!" He gasped. "J'aa'nie, I think I have to go now. My father's going to catch me if I don't."  
  
J'aa'nalia looked up at him in shock, and her eyes told him that she hadn't expected things to get so carried away either. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at what she had just done.  
  
"Noaa'lan . . .I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened!!" She gushed.  
  
"I don't know what happened to me either," Noaa'lan admitted. "I guess we're even then, aren't we?" J'aa'nalia nodded slowly, but he could sense that she still felt guilty. He smiled at her, and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.  
  
"I have to go now," He said softly. "I'll see you tomorrow, J'aa'nie."  
  
"Bye Noaa'lan." She said, and then slipped back into her room.  
  
Noaa'lan raced across the campus back to his speeder. Part of him felt really great, because now he knew that J'aa'nie also had feelings for him. The other part of him felt like he was slowly sinking. His father was going to catch him. Her father was going to find out about the two of them, and then he was going to eradicate Noaa'lan from the universe! This thought spurred Noaa'lan on. No. He wasn't going to get caught. Not just yet.  
  
"Noaa'lan!" boomed a voice, and Noaa'lan froze in his tracks. "Where in El'aanus' name have you been? Your mother is frantic! She thinks you were kidnapped by assassins!!"  
  
Noaa'lan turned to face the angry eyes of his father. He struggled to think up an excuse, but he knew that making excuses would be pointless when his father was this angry.  
  
"Father, I think mother overreacts about that assassin stuff! We haven't even seen an assassin around these parts in the past twenty-four years!" Noaa'lan protested.  
  
"If you think challenging our motives for searching is going to save your hide, you're sorely mistaken! You're coming with me, right now. Don't even worry a bit about your speeder. You won't be piloting that for a while!" His father said sharply. "Give me the keys!"  
  
Noaa'lan shoved the keys to his most prized possession into his father's outstretched hand. He gave his father an angry scowl, but even he knew when he was defeated.  
  
"Lets go!" Cel'aanaeus commanded roughly. Noaa'lan hung his head, and slowly obeyed orders. He could tell that this night was far from over. 


	9. Easily Distracted In Battle

Chapter Nine  
  
"Keep your focus now, Noaa'lan," K'aashi yelled to his friend over the hot white clash of blue against green that echoed through the hall as their lightsaber duel picked up speed.  
  
K'aashi sensed his friend's absent-mindedness, and he knew that neither he nor Noaa'lan wanted to lose an arm. Or worse.  
  
"Stop," Said Cel'aanaeus calmly. "You boys are going to kill each other."  
  
Noaa'lan disengaged his blade, and bent over; his chest was heaving from the effort. K'aashi, also breathing heavily, was leaning against a pillar with his eyes closed. Following his friend's cues, Noaa'lan tapped into the force to revive himself.  
  
"What in the name of the dark side happened there, Noaa'lan? You're just not yourself today," K'aashi commented in between gasps.  
  
Noaa'lan brushed his shaggy brown bangs out of his eyes, and shook his head. "I'm not quite sure. I'm just out of it."  
  
"Well, lets be 'out of it' at the back of the line, shall we?" K'aashi asked with a smile.  
  
Noaa'lan clipped his lightsaber onto his belt and joined K'aashi, who was seated at the back of the great hall.  
  
"Man, I know what's wrong! Something happened last night, between you and J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi, am I right?" Asked K'aashi.  
  
"Lower your voice!" Hissed Noaa'lan. "I. . .I'm not sure whether something happened last night or not. Either way, I'm dead!"  
  
"Ok. Slow down. First, what happened?" Asked K'aashi.  
  
"Well, I helped her sneak out of the Academy, so she could see her family. You know that part, right?"  
  
"Right. So, what happened?" K'aashi asked, leaning in eagerly.  
  
"Well, her old man actually THANKED me for bringing her home! I guess he must have missed her not being there. So, maybe J'aa'nalia took that to mean that he wasn't so pissed off at the Narundis anymore, because, when she said goodbye to me, she, um, well . . ." said Noaa'lan, hesitating.  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
"She kissed me." He blurted out, his cheeks flushing bright red.  
  
"What the darkness!!? What kind of kiss was it? Where did she kiss you?" Asked K'aashi with intense interest.  
  
"Well . . .I'm not sure--"  
  
"Oh, like the Sith, you're not sure!! You know damn well what it meant!" Snapped K'aashi.  
  
"OK! She kissed me, on the lips! And worse, I liked it. What's much worse is that she liked it as well, and her father sure won't appreciate me kissing his daughter, no matter how much his attitudes about the Narundis have improved in the past few years!!"  
  
"Well," K'aashi said slyly, "what R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi doesn't know won't hurt him, am I right?"  
  
"K'aashi, I'm pretty sure that J'aa'nalia isn't the kind of person to tell, but he is able to see that she has feelings for me--"  
  
"Noaa'lan, how can you be so sure of that? She's really good at lying, and so are you! I've seen how the two of you work together! You guys managed to lie your way out of the Academy last night! That's pretty good, I'd say!!" Said K'aashi.  
  
"I . . .I don't think it would work with a jedi master like R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi. He's on the same level with my father, and you KNOW that I can't lie to him!" Stammered Noaa'lan.  
  
"Well, stay away from him and you won't have to deal with it!" Warned K'aashi.  
  
Noaa'lan nodded somberly. The line was getting shorter, and K'aashi grabbed his lightsaber off his belt.  
  
"I'm gonna' beat you this time, Noaa'lan," Said K'aashi with a confident smile.  
  
"Not if I don't kick your butt first!!" Noaa'lan muttered defiantly.  
  
"Noaa'lan, K'aashi, be careful and attentive when you duel this time. I will stop you if you get distracted," Cel'aanaeus said softly.  
  
Both teenagers nodded, and then assumed fighting stance. Their blades ignited, and then clashed in a firestorm of white-hot electricity. K'aashi sliced out with his blade, and Noaa'lan quickly moved to counter it. At that very moment, K'aashi moved a little too far with his front foot. Taking the advantage, Noaa'lan quickly kicked out, and made K'aashi's knees buckle. He pinned K'aashi to the floor with his blade.  
  
"Point, Narundi," Said Cel'aanaeus. The king seemed satisfied that his son had regained his composure. He quietly got up and exited the room.  
  
Noaa'lan and K'aashi were to the point where the sheer exhilaration of the workout was an enjoyable experience. They laughed and joked like nobody else was in the room. Noaa'lan felt himself relax. His mind calmed down, and stopped focusing on his worries. His connections to the force became strong and clear, and he had an easy advantage over his friend.  
  
Cel'aanaeus re-entered the great hall, followed by an all-too-familiar slender, blond girl. J'aa'nalia looked like an angel in her long, silvery cloak. For a split second Noaa'lan just stared in awe at how beautiful she was . . .  
  
Intense pain seared through Noaa'lan's side, and he heard K'aashi yelp in surprise. He fell to the ground, cursing, and clutching his side.  
  
"Man, I'm so sorry, Noaa'lan!! I should have seen it coming!!" Cried K'aashi. "You lost your concentration again, huh?"  
  
"Of course I lost it, K'aashi!! What do you think, I wanted to get cut!?" Yelled Noaa'lan in pain.  
  
He tapped into the force to heal his wounded side. 'Ah, it's not that bad. It barely broke the surface,' Thought Noaa'lan with certainty.  
  
Then, he felt a small hand on top of his own, and he could sense that J'aa'nie had joined in the effort to heal his side.  
  
"J'aa'nie, you don't have to do that, you know," He whispered as his eyes met hers.  
  
"Ssssh, of course I do. You're hurt, Noaa'lan. Let me help you," She said softly.  
  
Noaa'lan stopped protesting, and he could feel his side rapidly improving as they worked together. Before long, J'aa'nalia took his hand away from his side.  
  
"All better. We make a great team, don't we?" She said, in her whisper-soft voice.  
  
"That we do," Noaa'lan agreed as he looked at his unscathed side. In his peripheral vision he could see K'aashi smirk and roll his eyes.  
  
"Ah, yes, quite a formidable one. That's not unexpected with two people who are as strong in the force as you two," Cel'aanaeus said with a smile. "As I was just about to announce, before my son went and got himself cut up, we have a new student in our combat skills class. Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi."  
  
"Hiya," Said K'aashi with a smile, elbowing his friend.  
  
"Ow, man, cut that out! My side still hurts!" Noaa'lan whispered through his clenched teeth.  
  
"Oops, sorry," Said K'aashi. "She seems to be staring at you now, Noaa'lan. I don't think that there's a chance in the universe that she doesn't have the hots for you, and everyone here, including your old man, can see it! So much for keeping things a secret!"  
  
Noaa'lan groaned and held his head in his hand. He couldn't believe that he could be so stupid as the fall for J'aa'nie!  
  
"Remind me to tell you what color I want my burial shroud to be, K'aashi," Whispered Noaa'lan, "because once R'aa'nlan finds out about J'aa'nalia and me, AND HE WILL, I'm going to be cleaved in half with a G'aanha!!"  
  
"Whoa, you don't have to reciprocate her feelings, you know! I mean, you're not in love with her . . .Are you?" Whispered K'aashi, looking suspiciously at his friend.  
  
His father had always told him not to lie to him, but most of all, Noaa'lan had been instructed never to lie to himself. He couldn't lie, and say that his heart didn't jump, and his lips didn't curve up into a smile, or that time didn't seem to stand still for him each time he laid eyes on her radiant beauty. He just couldn't. He looked sadly at his best friend, and gave a slow nod of surrender.  
  
"Aw MAN! You are!? I hate to say it, because I'm your friend, but you are one big FLAMING IDIOT, Noaa'lan!! She's beautiful, but she's practically suicide to you!!" K'aashi hissed.  
  
"Who is? What's wrong, Noaa'lan? You look sad," Said J'aa'nalia.  
  
"My side still hurts," Noaa'lan said truthfully.  
  
"Oh, let me help you," She said, reaching out and putting her hand on his side. Her fingers were like ice against his skin, and he jumped up from the cold.  
  
"Your fingers are cold . . ." Noaa'lan said as he held her hands in his. Their eyes met in a deeply powerful gaze. As he stared deeply into her mind, he saw the brave, unprejudiced young woman that had stolen his heart. She was willing to risk everything, including her family, to be with him. He finally understood. For a split second, he knew that this was the way it was meant to be . . .  
  
"Noaa'lan, J'aa'nie, would you two please step up for sparring. Noaa'lan, are you sure that you're up to this?" Asked his father with a knowing smile.  
  
'Up to what?' thought Noaa'lan. 'Dueling? What was it that I was doing before she came?"  
  
"Uhhh. . .not really. My side still hurts a bit," said Noaa'lan, lying just a little. He couldn't concentrate long enough to fight J'aa'nie. That he knew for a fact.  
  
"All right," Cel'aanaeus said, looking curiously at his son. "K'aashi, do you want to step up and take this one?"  
  
"With pleasure," K'aashi said with a smug smile, as he sauntered into the fighting ring. "J'aa'nie, just to show you I'm a nice guy, I won't be too hard on you, because you're just a freshman."  
  
J'aa'nalia unclasped her silver cloak and discarded it at the edge of the ring. She removed her intricately carved weapon from her belt, and gave K'aashi an icy stare.  
  
"If I needed you to go easy on me, then I wouldn't be in this class, now would I, K'aashi? If you do, then I will beat you. Plain and simple." She said bluntly.  
  
K'aashi raised his eyebrows in surprise at the sweet, innocent blond girl who just challenged him.  
  
"All right, then. Lets go!!!" K'aashi yelled, igniting his blade. J'aa'nalia quickly moved to counter with her own blue blade. "Lets see what you're made of, J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi!!"  
  
The two of them fought fiercely, but J'aa'nalia clearly had the upper hand from the beginning. She moved deftly, never wasting any movements or energy, and her quick, precise style sent K'aashi scrambling. Before long, both K'aashi and his pride came crashing to the floor.  
  
"Point, T'naa'lichi," Cel'aanaeus called out as he moved over to stand next to his son. "Very good, J'aa'nalia! You fight very much like your father, if I remember correctly. He was very efficient."  
  
"Thanks. He taught me all he knew," J'aa'nalia said softly.  
  
"She's really GOOD!" Noaa'lan exclaimed under his breath.  
  
"I know," replied his father. "That's why I wanted you to fight her. When you're fighting your best, you're a good match for her."  
  
Noaa'lan turned to watch K'aashi tumble to the ground as J'aa'nalia delivered a hard kick to his stomach. K'aashi picked himself off the cold stone floor with a groan, doubled over from pain. He shook his head in disbelief.  
  
"No more! I've gotten my butt kicked enough for today, thank you!" Gasped K'aashi.  
  
"On that note, everybody is dismissed. This period is almost over anyway," announced Cel'aanaeus.  
  
Noaa'lan reached out and slapped his friend on the back. K'aashi gave a weary sigh.  
  
"Don't sweat it! Everybody gets beaten down by a girl sometime. I'm sure that next class, it'll be my turn!" He said with a smile.  
  
"You're just saying that to be nice. I'm sure you're going to do pretty well against her." K'aashi replied.  
  
"Yeah, if I could only concentrate when I see her, then I might stand a chance!" Noaa'lan muttered. "However, that doesn't seem to be something I can do."  
  
"It should be," said a calm voice, and Noaa'lan turned around to face his father. "Noaa'lan, I understand why you're smitten with her. She's a beautiful, kind, and talented girl, but you have to realize that falling for her is dangerous!"  
  
"That's what I've been trying to tell him all along! See, Noaa'lan, your father's right! You have to forget about her!" Insisted K'aashi.  
  
"Uh, there's just one problem with that. I'm her senior guide, because you ASSIGNED me to her, and I don't want to be a jerk and ditch her. That's just what she'd expect a Narundi to do!" Noaa'lan exclaimed.  
  
"Oh, has being a Narundi suddenly become synonymous with not caring about people? Noaa'lan, we took her in when her father couldn't afford to teach her anymore!" Cel'aanaeus said sternly. "You won't be doing her a disservice by refusing to be her guide. Tell her you're busy!"  
  
"No, father. I can handle it. K'aashi, tell him I'll be able to deal with her!" Noaa'lan cried in desperation.  
  
"I don't know, Noaa'lan. I DID cut your side open while you just stood there and ogled her!" K'aashi said as he bit his lip, trying not to laugh. Noaa'lan glared at him for not coming to his rescue.  
  
"Noaa'lan, you've made it very obvious that you're dedicated to clearing the Narundi name, and showing her that you're a good friend, but you're standing next to a very deep abyss, and if you fall in love with her, you're as good as gone!" Exclaimed Cel'aanaeus.  
  
"I'm grateful that you care so much about what happens to me, but I can fend for myself! I promise you that I won't let my feelings for her get in the way!" Noaa'lan said softly.  
  
"Make sure that you don't," said Cel'aanaeus, with his lips pressed into a firm, straight line. He pulled his jedi cloak up over his head, and, after giving his son a stern look, he exited the room.  
  
"Oh damn, I'm screwed!" Noaa'lan exclaimed as he banged his head against the wall.  
  
"You can't do it, can you?" Asked K'aashi. "I did sense a very strong connection there between the two of you."  
  
"It's strong, K'aashi. Too strong! I can't think of anything else but her! It's affecting my attention span!" Noaa'lan whined.  
  
"Hey, you know what I just thought of!? This is just like D'aanea and Patrl'aan, minus the two of you being cousins! Talk about your forbidden love! Your families have some feud going on! Someday, Professor S'aahai's anal-retentive descendants are going to be teaching their classes "Noaa'lan and J'aa'nalia" as a part of N'aanwarian Literature!" Cried K'aashi, doubling over from laughter.  
  
"Hey, if all turns out the way that you planned, then HIS descendants will be YOUR descendants!" Noaa'lan pointed out with a smirk.  
  
"Well, no kids of mine are going to be teaching N'aanwarian Lit!" K'aashi said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"Then there's no way you'll ever get to fulfill that particular fantasy! Plus, I don't want to be murdered by my relatives, like D'aanea and Patrl'aan were. I like my throat when it's not slit!!" Laughed Noaa'lan.  
  
"Your relatives aren't the ones you should be worried about, my friend," K'aashi said.  
  
"Tell me something I don't know," Noaa'lan muttered as he and K'aashi exited out into the endless din of the hallway.  
  
There, he found J'aa'nie waiting for him.  
  
"Hi guys," she said with a bright smile. "Noaa'lan, are you ready to take me to my next class?"  
  
"Sure. K'aashi, I'll see you later, OK?"  
  
"Sure thing, buddy. Don't be late again to S'aahai's class!" K'aashi said with a grin.  
  
"Don't worry, I won't," Noaa'lan laughed, and he took J'aa'nalia by the hand and led her down the hall.  
  
"This place is just so huge! I don't think I'll ever be able to find my way around it!" J'aa'nie exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, it takes a while, but you'll get the hang of it after a couple of weeks." Noaa'lan said reassuringly.  
  
As the two of them wound their way through the small openings in the halls between different clusters of people, J'aa'nalia gave Noaa'lan's hand a gentle squeeze. He looked back to see her smiling at him, and her hazel eyes sparkled so that they made the dim hallway brighter. Noaa'lan beamed back at her and returned the squeeze.  
  
"Noaa'lan, um, can I ask you a question?" J'aa'nalia whispered once they had gotten away from the crowd.  
  
"Sure, J'aa'nie. Shoot."  
  
"About last night . . .uh . . .did it . . .mean anything to you?" She asked earnestly, her eyes gazing up into his.  
  
He wanted to say "of course" and "it meant everything", but all he could do was stare into her eyes. The same feelings that he felt each time he saw her swept over him like wildfire, and his hand reached up to touch her cheek. He leaned over and softly kissed her.  
  
"My my, Mr. Narundi, maybe you don't remember the rule that states that there are NO public signs of affection in this school!" Boomed Professor S'aahai. "Plus, I wouldn't want to have to give you another detention, which is what I will do if you're late to my class again!"  
  
J'aa'nalia smiled at Noaa'lan as the professor walked away.  
  
"Don't worry, Noaa'lan. He's just a stiff." She said with a giggle.  
  
"Well, he is right about him giving me a detention, so I'll have to see you later." Noaa'lan said, smiling warmly at her.  
  
"All right," said J'aa'nie, and she kissed him swiftly on the cheek, and then entered her classroom.  
  
Noaa'lan walked on air down the hall, forgetting about how stupid he really was for falling for her. All he could think about was her. 


	10. The Dance

Chapter Ten  
  
"Check it out! What do you think of this jacket, Noaa'lan? Do you think S'aalia would like it on me?" K'aashi said, parading around the room in Noaa'lan's old wardrobe.  
  
"I don't know. It depends on what she likes, I guess."  
  
K'aashi ran a hand through his blond hair as he studied himself in the mirror. He smiled devilishly at his reflection.  
  
"Yup, she's going to go head over heels for me, I can tell you that right now! Say, how come you never wore this jacket? It looks nice!" K'aashi asked.  
  
"They made it too small. I couldn't get my shoulders into it. So, what makes you so certain that S'aalia is going to come to this dance tonight??" Noaa'lan asked with interest.  
  
"Oh, trust me! She'll be there! She's totally hot for me, I can feel it!" K'aashi said, strutting around the room.  
  
Noaa'lan laughed so hard that it brought tears to his eyes.  
  
"iT'naa tchk'aana!/i What do you know, Noaa'lan," K'aashi growled.  
  
"Calm down, K'aashi! You don't have to swear at me! I was just kidding. Yeah, I think she likes you, but you can't take it personally if she decides not to come to the dance!" Noaa'lan exclaimed.  
  
"Speaking of girlfriends, do you think that J'aa'nie will be there?" K'aashi said with a teasing tone in his voice.  
  
"Hey, shut up!" Noaa'lan said with a frown. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she'll be there. Did you know that freshman girls make up the greatest percentage of students attending the upper class dances?"  
  
"That doesn't surprise me one bit. So, what will you do if she is there?" K'aashi asked.  
  
"What else? Talk to her. She'll be there, looking for me. I can't hide from her. Nor would I want to," Noaa'lan said bluntly.  
  
"Aren't you forgetting that your father told you to avoid getting too close to her? Last time I checked, dancing counted as "getting too close"." K'aashi said with a smirk.  
  
"K'aashi, I've been doing some thinking. I know that my father doesn't want me to fall in love with J'aa'nie, but think about what it could do to resolve the feud! Once R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi realizes that the two of us are in love, and that I treat her well, he'll see that the feud between our families is stupid! There really isn't any reason why our families should hate each other. What happened long ago is over and done with, and we should forgive each other and move on," Noaa'lan ranted as he toweled off his wet hair.  
  
"Wow. You really are in love with her! I hate to be the voice of reason, but you know next to nothing about the source of the feud between your father and R'aa'nlan! You're crazy to think that you and J'aa'nalia loving each other can put an end to that feud!! Noaa'lan, you're my best friend, and I'd hate to lose you!" K'aashi said sternly, his tone resembling that of Noaa'lan's father.  
  
"K'aashi, you don't have anything to worry about! Nothing is going to go wrong! I have a good feeling about this dance tonight. I think that it's the perfect place for J'aa'nie and me to show everyone that we're together," Noaa'lan said, his blue eyes flashing brightly.  
  
"Oh, do what you want to do. There isn't any chance of me ever changing your mind anyway!" K'aashi groaned. "Just. . .try to avoid your father! I don't think it's a good idea for you to reveal your relationship to him just yet."  
  
"Ah, if Professor S'aahai didn't tell him yet, I'd be surprised. The two of them are old friends from when they both went to the Academy," Noaa'lan said as he put on a clean blue shirt.  
  
"Hmmm." K'aashi said, stroking his chin.  
  
"What?" Noaa'lan asked, looking curiously at his friend.  
  
"I bet that if we could get to know Professor S'aahai better, he could tell us what went on between your Dad and R'aa'nlan."  
  
"Ha! There's a joke if I ever heard one!! Do you realize what you're saying?" Noaa'lan exclaimed. "K'aashi, Professor S'aahai thinks that we're lousy, grimy Ten'aahas!! He'd rather stop assigning literary essays than help us!!"  
  
"That's it!! We can do a report!!" K'aashi cried, jumping up onto the trunk at the foot of Noaa'lan's sleeping pallet.  
  
"Oh, now I know you've really lost it! Get down off of my furniture!! My mother will have a fit if she sees your shoeprints on there!" Noaa'lan yelled. "What do you mean?"  
  
"We can do a report on the different theories and myths about the "falling out" that your father and R'aa'nlan had! There are certainly enough of them circulating around this school!!" K'aashi said enthusiastically.  
  
"Oh, that would go over real well with my father!!" Noaa'lan said, rolling his eyes. "I'm starting to think we'd be better off asking S'aahai ourselves, and then taking whatever sarcasm he dishes out."  
  
"Why do you think S'aahai is the way he is? Do you think he just never found a mate?" K'aashi asked.  
  
"No, actually. His wife died, when we were about four. No children. He actually lives on campus, and I hear he's going to be chaperoning the dance tonight," Noaa'lan said, raising his eyebrows at K'aashi.  
  
"Well then," K'aashi said, smiling at Noaa'lan as he showed off his new outfit. "He's just going to have a good view when I hit on his niece!"  
  
"Oh, if it isn't the two morons!!" Kahl'aan said from the doorway. "Noaa'lan, I need that holodisc that you stole from me! Cough it up, pond scum!!"  
  
Noaa'lan grabbed the disk off of his desk and thrust it at Kahl'aan, who gave him a hard whack on the arm.  
  
"Hey, you do that one more time, and I'm telling mother! Why in N'aanwaria do you even need your disk now?? Aren't you going to the dance?"  
  
"No. I wouldn't go to one of those stupid things if a F'aalran was waiting outside to tear my guts out!! Some people here aren't thinking about mating!!" Kahl'aan said with a sneer.  
  
"Come on, Kahl'aan! You're old enough to think about mating!! Stop being so old-fashioned!!" K'aashi said with a laugh.  
  
"Maybe none of you realized that you won't even be allowed to marry until you're twenty-three years old! I'm being realistic here, because I don't think dating is a very practical method of finding a mate when you're just going to have an arranged marriage anyways!"  
  
"In case you haven't noticed, Kahl'aan, I'm the one who's going to have an arranged marriage, not you. So I'd get off your lazy butt, put on some nice clothes, and head down to the dance with us!" Noaa'lan said, thrusting a finger at Kahl'aan's chest.  
  
"What makes you think that father will let you go!? You've only been grounded for four days! I'd say that your little nighttime escapade deserves more time than that!!" Kahl'aan said defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"Don't you even think about telling father! I'm not going to miss this dance tonight!" Noaa'lan said angrily.  
  
"What'll I get for keeping quiet?" Kahl'aan asked with a smirk. Noaa'lan thought about this for a second, and then he went over to his desk. After rummaging through the piles of papers, he came across what he was looking for.  
  
"It's the new holodisc virtual game. I've been hiding it from you, because I know how you go through my stuff!! Take it or leave it!" Noaa'lan said, scowling at his brother.  
  
Kahl'aan looked at the holodisc with the same wide eyes that a child would look at a piece of sweet C'knaaha. He grinned at his brother and nodded eagerly.  
  
"Don't worry about father ever finding out! I'll be in my room permanently from this point on!" Kahl'aan said as Noaa'lan handed him the holodisc. He promptly ran out of the room, and the two friends could hear a door slam shut at the end of the corridor.  
  
"Man, your little brother is such a pain! I'd never give him any of my stuff!" K'aashi exclaimed.  
  
"Well, sometimes it's worth paying him off. I wouldn't miss this night for all of the sn'aala in the sea!" Noaa'lan said, grabbing his jacket.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" K'aashi asked.  
  
"Ready."  
  
"Well then. Lets make tracks, shall we?" K'aashi said with a smile. "Uh, question. How do we get out of here without your parents noticing?"  
  
"We gotta take the back way out. Down the escape route," Noaa'lan explained.  
  
"Escape route? What are you talking about? K'aashi asked as the two walked down the hallway toward the older part of the palace.  
  
"Back when my ancestors ruled N'aanwaria, there were a lot of problems with assassins. I guess that not too many of them were as popular as my father and grandfather. They had escape routes built into the palace at strategic locations in the event of an attack. They're still all there, just in case something were to happen. I think it's pretty pointless if you ask me," Said Noaa'lan.  
  
"So, they used to run down this tiny little passageway here to safety? I find that hard to believe! It's too steep to run down!" K'aashi said as he almost slipped on one of the steps.  
  
"Well, I never said that it was very practical, just that it was there!" Noaa'lan said as they reached the end of the tunnel. The sun was setting slowly behind the dense jungle surrounding the Palace. Golden dots of light flickered through the trees and came to rest upon the blue-gray stone facade of the royal palace. Noaa'lan could already hear the sounds of the dance through the underbrush, and the music and laughter beckoned to him. K'aashi followed his friend down the short path to the school's courtyard.  
  
The students of Narundi Academy had gathered in a rare moment of chaos. Those who normally plodded through their days without making a sound were moving and singing along to the music. Those who were more vocal were standing in a circle, daring one another to get inside it and make a fool out of themselves. The music was accompanied by shrieks, laughter, and the clapping of hands. A smile crossed Noaa'lan's face as he realized what he'd been missing.  
  
"Fun, isn't it?" K'aashi said, elbowing his friend.  
  
"Definitely! This is wild! Say, do you see J'aa'nie anywhere?" Noaa'lan asked.  
  
"Uh . . . yeah! She's right over there, by the refreshment table."  
  
Noaa'lan walked slowly across the courtyard. J'aa'nalia had seen him almost immediately and was walking towards him. Everything around them appeared to be in slow motion as the two came to meet in the middle of the courtyard.  
  
"Madam, may I have this dance?" Noaa'lan asked as he bowed to her. J'aa'nalia smiled and nodded, her green eyes sparkling. She placed her hands on his shoulders as he pulled her close and her eyes stared up at him.  
  
"I was worried that you weren't coming," She whispered softly into his ear as he hugged her.  
  
"Why? You know that I wouldn't miss a chance to be with you," Noaa'lan said tenderly, kissing her cheek.  
  
"Well, it's just that your family . . .well, I thought it was a bad idea for you to be seen in public with me. You know how reporters love to find out more about you," J'aa'nalia said awkwardly.  
  
"Believe me, no reporters are allowed inside the Academy. My father would throw a fit if that were to happen. He doesn't want the royal family to be in the public eye. He's quite protective," Noaa'lan said with a frown.  
  
"And would he throw a fit if he knew that we were together?" J'aa'nalia asked softly, looking up at him with her big green eyes.  
  
"Probably. However, he thinks that both Kahl'aan and I are home tonight, and I bribed Kahl'aan not to tell him where I was."  
  
"Oh, you bribed him, huh? What'd you do? Give him some of your stuff in exchange for him keeping silent?" J'aa'nalia asked with a smirk.  
  
"Yeah, my newest holodisc. The one I didn't want him to know I had in my room. It was definitely worth it, though, because now I'm with you," Noaa'lan said, smiling warmly at J'aa'nalia. J'aa'nalia returned the smile, looking lovingly up at him. He stroked her cheek with his hand and leaned down to kiss her softly on the forehead. Through the force Noaa'lan could feel their minds connect instantly, and he was finally able to fathom the extent of their attraction to one another. As he looked into her eyes, he felt a deep ache in the center of his being, and he knew that he had to tell her the truth.  
  
"Noaa'lan . . . I . . . I love you!" J'aa'nalia blurted out in a whisper, her face turning red as she quickly averted her gaze. He could tell she'd been experiencing the same sensation that he had. He gently touched her face and she turned back to face him again.  
  
"J'aa'nie, I love you too," He whispered, smiling at her. Over the past few days, the two of them had become quite close. They'd been holding hands and kissing whenever Noaa'lan was sure that his father's back was turned. The rest of the students had begun to take notice, and now Noaa'lan could feel many sets of inquisitive eyes on him and J'aa'nie as they danced. He knew that it was a big risk that they were taking by making their relationship public, and that they'd surely run into trouble. Noaa'lan gazed deep into J'aa'nalia's eyes and he saw the strength and bravery inside of her; he knew that together they could do it. They'd show everyone else that their love was stronger than the animosity between their families. Noaa'lan leaned down and kissed J'aa'nalia ardently as she wrapped her arms around him. The kiss continued for several minutes as the conversation around them died down to a stand still. Neither one of them noticed as they continued to hold each other close. Noaa'lan stroked her long blond hair as he kissed her softly on the chin. He'd never felt so close or so connected to anyone, and his emotions rushed over him and overwhelmed him. He loved her, and he couldn't feel anything else but her soul joined with his on that night, soaring beneath the stars.  
  
"Hey, Patrl'aan, I hate to ruin your night, but your father's here, and he's pretty pissed!!" K'aashi said urgently while shaking his friend on the shoulder. Noaa'lan broke away from kissing J'aa'nalia and gave his friend a dirty look. Then, his mind realized what K'aashi had just said. He looked over to the side of the courtyard to see his father standing there, his arms crossed over his chest, giving his son an angry scowl. Noaa'lan knew he was in for it.  
  
"He told me to tell you that he wanted to talk to you, NOW!" K'aashi said while biting his lip. Noaa'lan could sense his friend's concern for his well being, but that wouldn't save him from what his father had to say. Noaa'lan swallowed the lump in his throat and told J'aa'nalia that he'd be right back. He slowly approached his father, knowing that he'd completely ignored his orders to avoid becoming involved with J'aa'nalia. He knew that disobeying his father with regard to this matter would surely bring about a lot of scolding and punishment. As he came closer to where his father was standing, he could see the intense anger in the king's eyes, and Noaa'lan knew that he was going to get more than just a scolding.  
  
"Come with me. We need to talk in private," Cel'aanaeus growled, his voice tense with anger. He gave his son a harsh shove as they exited the courtyard. 


	11. Speaking From Experience

Chapter Eleven  
  
"What were you trying to pull out there, Noaa'lan?!" Demanded Cel'aanaeus as he stuck a finger right in the middle of Noaa'lan's chest. His eyes blazed with fire, and Noaa'lan backed up slowly against the stone wall surrounding the courtyard.  
  
"We . . . we were just dancing!" Noaa'lan said, defensively putting up his hands to protect himself from his father's verbal attack.  
  
"Dancing!!?" Roared the king. "You call that dancing!!? Your lips were pressed FIRMLY against hers! Face it, Noaa'lan. There is NO WAY you can weasel your way out of this one! Plus, you're still grounded!! I don't know when I said you could make the rules around here, but this disobedience has got to stop!!"  
  
"Father, I . . . I didn't mean to dishonor your intentions or break any of your rules, but I really wanted to go to this dance!" Noaa'lan said softly.  
  
"It's funny how you never seemed to like going to dances until Ms. T'naa'lichi started going to the Academy! Noaa'lan, listen to me, because this is the last time I'm going to say it! You can't comprehend the extent of her father's wrath, or what he's capable of doing to you! You're the heir apparent to this dynasty, and it's your duty to make sure you don't put yourself into any situations that are potentially harmful or lethal! You'd be smart not to have anything to do with his daughter!" Cel'aanaeus warned, fixing his eyes on his son.  
  
"You forget something. I'm not you. I did nothing to R'aa'nlan, and he knows it!" Noaa'lan said, visibly agitated.  
  
"You did nothing to R'aa'nlan, that is, until he finds out about you and J'aa'nalia! Then all bets are off!!" Cel'aanaeus said, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"WHY won't you let me lead my own life, and make my own mistakes!!!?" Noaa'lan screamed angrily at his father. "Don't you even care one bit about how I feel??! How could you!? You never loved anybody! You just had your marriage arranged for you! So, of course, that's the way it's going to be for me, because nothing ever changes in the Narundi Dynasty!" Noaa'lan kicked the ground with the toe of his boot, spraying dirt and small stones everywhere.  
  
"Throwing a temper tantrum isn't going to get you any farther with me than it does for your brother, Noaa'lan! I know you have feelings for J'aa'nalia, but the two of you being together could cause a major fight between her father and our family!" Cel'aanaeus said sternly. "Once he declares war on our family, it ceases to be your business, and it becomes my business! I don't want to have to fight him just because of your stupidity!"  
  
"Stupidity!!!? Is that what you call finding true love!!?" Cried Noaa'lan in fury. "You're just jealous, because I have something that you never had!! Well, I'm not going to stop seeing her just because you decide that it's too dangerous to the family! I love her, father, and not you, mother, or even R'aa'nlan can take that away from me!"  
  
"I am referring to the stupidity of that young, optimistic mind of yours that foolishly believes that everything you ever wanted will magically fall to your feet! That stupidity is what tells you that your love with J'aa'nie can dissolve her father's hatred toward our family. Don't fall into that trap, because it can destroy a great many lives, and cause years worth of resentment," Cel'aanaeus said coldly, looking his son in the eyes.  
  
"You sound as if you speak from experience," Noaa'lan said.  
  
"Your old man wasn't always so old, or so cynical. I once had dreams, just like you, but I didn't know where to draw the line. I didn't know that what I was doing was potentially harmful to those that I cared about, and I paid for it." Cel'aanaeus said with a frown.  
  
"You're talking about what happened between you and R'aa'nlan." Cel'aanaeus slowly nodded his head.  
  
"What did happen, father? You never told me why he hates you so much? Something about a woman?"  
  
"Noaa'lan, it's not my job to tell you what happened so many years ago. The past is just that, and it should be left alone. All I can do is warn you to stay away from J'aa'nalia. It's for your own good," Cel'aanaeus said, his voice sounding tired.  
  
"I'm sorry. I can't stay away from her. You just can't understand what it's like to feel so much in love with someone!! Father, I assure you that we'll be together in the end! I can sense it!" Noaa'lan exclaimed.  
  
"It might be true. You may be together," Cel'aanaeus said softly. "However, everything comes with a price. How much are you willing to pay for love?"  
  
Noaa'lan stared at his father, and he could see the tiredness in his eyes. The two stood there for a long time, staring at each other as the sounds of the dance went on around them.  
  
"You can make that decision for yourself. The days of me telling you what to do are long gone. It's your life," Cel'aanaeus said as he turned and started walking down the path. "Do what you want with it."  
  
Noaa'lan watched his father as he disappeared through the forest, and then he slowly turned back to the dance. He walked through the gates, back into the courtyard, his father's warning still fresh on his mind.  
  
"Hey, man, you're still in one piece! I'm glad. What did he say to you?" asked K'aashi.  
  
"He told me that I'm an idiot."  
  
"Did he punish you?" asked K'aashi, a look of confusion on his face.  
  
"No, come to think of it, he didn't. What he basically said was that I'm going to earn enough punishment myself by just dating J'aa'nie. I don't need him to punish me." Noaa'lan said bitterly.  
  
"So, what are you going to do? If he didn't forbid you to see her, I mean," K'aashi asked with genuine interest. Noaa'lan thought about this for a second, and then he looked his friend hard in the eyes.  
  
"I'm going to go back over there and continue to have a good time with J'aa'nie tonight. I'm going to show my father that I won't make the same mistakes that he did," Noaa'lan said with determination, and then he turned and started walking toward J'aa'nalia.  
  
"Hey, aren't you forgetting something," K'aashi said as he dogged Noaa'lan's every step. "You don't know what kind of mistakes your father made, but he sure does. How do you know that you're not making the same mistakes that he once did?"  
  
"Oh please, K'aashi!" Noaa'lan exclaimed. "My father is just bitter because he never found true love! He probably wanted to marry someone, but he couldn't. His father probably forbid it, and insisted that he have an arranged marriage!"  
  
"Noaa'lan, listen to yourself! You're not sure of anything that happened! You're not going to be able to fully comprehend what your father meant until you find out what happened between him and R'aa'nlan!" K'aashi said firmly, gripping his friend's shoulder.  
  
Noaa'lan stared warily at his friend for any signs that he was just joking. He found none.  
  
"All right," Noaa'lan conceded. "We'll investigate this little matter. However, I'm not going to spend the rest of my night worrying about what happened. I'm going to spend it holding J'aa'nalia in my arms!"  
  
"God, you're stubborn!" K'aashi scoffed. "All right. You go and make out with your girlfriend, and I'll just sit here by the wall and watch!"  
  
"S'aalia didn't show up, even after you asked her?" Noaa'lan asked with a confused look on his face.  
  
"No, apparently not. She's the only woman to this day that's been able to resist the charms of K'aashi Taa'lani," K'aashi said glumly, resting his chin on his hands.  
  
"Ah, cheer up. I'm sure she had other plans! Besides, you've been nothing but nice to her this week. I'm sure she likes you!" Noaa'lan said as he clapped his friend on the back.  
  
"Yeah, thanks. Hey, don't worry about me. J'aa'nie's over there waiting for you!" K'aashi said, pointing to the blond girl who stood talking in a circle of freshmen girls. J'aa'nie kept on stealing glances at Noaa'lan, and when she caught his eye, she smiled affectionately at him. He smiled back, and he could feel his night slowly growing brighter again.  
  
"Thanks, K'aash," Noaa'lan said as he stood up from his seat and walked over to where she was standing. She gathered him up in her arms and pressed her full lips against his. He could smell the sweet flowery scent of her hair and he found it to be intoxicating. He loved her dearly, and nobody was ever going to take that away from him. The young lovers danced the night away, holding each other close. It wasn't until the end of the dance that Noaa'lan noticed K'aashi's empty seat at the edge of the courtyard. 


	12. Seduction, Distruction, and Other Lovely...

Chapter Twelve  
  
"I'm only going to ask you one more time, Ambassador," hissed N'aadija as she dug her claws into his pasty green throat. "Where is that clearance pass for the N'aanwarian sector that I ordered you to obtain?"  
  
Ver'aanas blinked his glassy Joirilian eyes at her, but his full lips remained sealed. N'aadija knew that she'd have to use a different tactic if she was going to get this stuffy idiot to betray his home planet. She called upon her greatest weapon: her charm.  
  
"You do realize, Ambassador Temusa, that in the event that you help me, you will be handsomely rewarded," N'aadija whispered and then licked her lips. She slowly and deliberately approached the ambassador and pressed her smooth, sexy form against him. She could see the lump on his neck raise and lower as he swallowed hard. It was working. The former N'aanwarian model's eroticism was taking hold of his stubborn mind. She lowered herself onto him and pressed her lips against his, knowing that it was only a matter of time before this handsome Joirilian succumbed to her superior willpower.  
  
She was just in the middle of enjoying the feel of her tongue shoved down his throat when a barrage of blaster fire echoed through the chamber. She quickly removed her tongue to prevent its avulsion and turned to glare at her cohorts.  
  
"Sith-spawn!! Why can't I ever complete a business transaction without you imbeciles screwing things up!?" N'aadija cried in a rage, separating herself from the ambassador.  
  
"On the contrary, my dear N'aadija. It was we who were conducting business properly," M'aaranik hissed, showing off the clearance pass with one hand and motioning to his associate with the other. "While you were screwing the ambassador, we were getting things done!"  
  
"Oh, and what's wrong with that? If we did things my way, we wouldn't have to slaughter every creature that stands in our way! However, since you two are uglier than a Q'aachi's behind, I don't think you have any choice but to blast your way into things!" N'aadija growled, her human features contorting to become more cat-like. M'aaranik bared his own fangs at N'aadija and his eyes glinted in warning as he raised up his hand. N'aadija clasped her throat with her hands as she felt it begin to constrict. M'aaranik smiled maliciously as he watched his female companion struggle for breath.  
  
"I'd advise you to hold your tongue the next time you decide to cross me N'aadija, or you might find yourself living without one!" M'aaranik said evenly, staring at N'aadija as she dropped to her knees. He was losing interest in this game. He didn't want to kill N'aadija. She was too much fun to have around, when she wasn't in one of her moods. He released his hold on her and then watched her shoulders heave as she got down on all fours. M'aaranik didn't want to admit it, but he found this sight slightly arousing.  
  
"You idiot!" Croaked N'aadija. "The ambassador is getting away!"  
  
M'aaranik turned to see Ambassador Temusa backing quietly toward the doorway. With quick jedi reflexes he whipped out his blaster and fired a shot that burned right through the ambassador's chest before he even knew what hit him. Temusa's humanoid form crumpled to the ground as N'aadija looked on in horror.  
  
"I pity those Joirilians. They never had much in the way of jedi powers," M'aaranik said sardonically.  
  
"You moron!!" shrieked N'aadija.  
  
"What's the matter? Oh, I'm sorry N'aadija! I didn't mean to kill your lover!" M'aaranik said, his voice once again dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"No, you don't understand! I don't care about him! What I care about is not getting caught, and plastering the ambassador's guts all over the chamber like a morbid calling card is one sure way for us to get caught!!"  
  
"For once, you've got a point," M'aaranik said as he put his blaster back in its holster. "I'd say it was about time that we left this place. N'aadija, Daa'salar, come with me. We now have the final link that we need to infiltrate the N'aanwarian system and destroy the Narundi Dynasty once and for all!"  
  
"Could you sound any more like you came straight out of a holomovie!?" Muttered N'aadija under her breath.  
  
"What was that again?" M'aaranik asked, turning slowly around to glare at her.  
  
"You sound as if this is going to be easy! The only way that we're going to destroy the Narundis is through years of working to undermine them! Here you come along, acting like we're going to do it tomorrow!" N'aadija snapped, returning his angry glance.  
  
M'aaranik whirled around to slap N'aadija square across the face. She reeled from the blow, but managed to maintain her balance.  
  
"Don't you ever question my authority again, N'aadija!" M'aaranik growled. "You forget that it was I who brought you out of exile in that filthy Sraenian sector and helped you to become the dark jedi that you are today!"  
  
"Boss! They've dispatched commandos from the upper decks." Daa'salar interrupted as he sniffed the air, sensing the impending danger. "They know we're here."  
  
"We have to get out of here, M'aaranik," N'aadija said, pulling herself from his grasp.  
  
"You're right. I'll have to deal with you later!" M'aaranik said calmly, raising his eyebrows at her. He turned on his heels and walked toward the docking bay. N'aadija glared at his back as she rubbed her sore face, wondering why she even got herself into this line of work. She reluctantly followed the two men, knowing that she didn't have much of a choice.  
  
"Hurry up and get on board. We don't want to be here when this place goes to hell!" M'aaranik barked.  
  
"What do you mean, when this place goes to hell?" asked N'aadija, giving him a puzzled stare.  
  
"You'll see, my dear. For sure, you'll see," M'aaranik laughed devilishly as he sealed the hatch to the Dark Pirate. N'aadija felt a cold shiver creep up her spine as she watched the sinister smile crawl across his face. She stared back at him with eyes of hardened ice as she realized what he had done. Their stare was interrupted by a loud fire of engines as Daa'salar piloted the ship out into the deep blackness of space.  
  
"The Narundis will have your head for sure. You're getting too cocky for your own good, M'aaranik," N'aadija said softly as she stared out the window.  
  
"That is why I decided to obliterate the ship. If the evidence is vaporized, they can't do anything to trace it back to us," M'aaranik said matter-of-factly as he sipped his glass of Benulian champagne. "Besides, I didn't want you to worry your pretty little head off that I'd be captured and executed. I know you can't bare to be without me," M'aaranik whispered as he stroked his hand down her back. N'aadija cringed as he kissed her shoulders and neck.  
  
"Better watch what you do when you drink, M'aaranik. You wouldn't want to do something you regret later," she said, pushing him away from her.  
  
"I barely had a sip! What can I say? Seeing you with that ambassador got me in the mood. Plus, I wouldn't want all of that pent up sexual energy to go to waste!" M'aaranik purred slyly, pulling her body up against his.  
  
"Spare me, please! I don't need to be reminded of how you murdered Ambassador Temusa! That just doesn't strike me as an arousing vision, M'aaranik!! I don't know how it is one in your sick, twisted mind!!"  
  
"I'm talking about how I found you two when I first walked in, my pretty little nitwit!!" M'aaranik said softly as he held her face in his hands. "Why have you suddenly become so disenchanted by the trail of gore that we leave behind?"  
  
"Maybe I just need some time alone right now!" N'aadija hissed and then retreated back to her sleeping pallet. M'aaranik was quick to follow her and he sat down lazily on the edge of her bedding.  
  
"Maybe you need some of this to calm your nerves," he said, offering her a glass of champagne.  
  
"What, so you can drug me and I won't be so disagreeable?" N'aadija said, pushing his hand off of her thigh.  
  
"No, so my kitten won't be so grouchy! It's the only chance I have of getting my hands on you!" M'aaranik said, looking at her with bedroom eyes. This was about all that N'aadija could stomach. She slapped him across the face in disgust, but that only worked to further his enjoyment of the situation.  
  
"Oh, so we're going to play that game now, are we?" M'aaranik said, smiling eagerly at her.  
  
"No, I'm not playing any games, M'aaranik! I really don't want to do anything with you right now! I'm definitely not in the mood!"  
  
"I don't see what the problem is! You've given yourself to me countless times in the past! What the hell is wrong with you, N'aadija!?" M'aaranik cried in frustration as he followed her to the front of the ship.  
  
N'aadija stared at him with a hurt expression as the light from the exploding ship illuminated her features. M'aaranik reached up to caress her chin and this time she didn't back away.  
  
"I guess I just realized that I'm eighteen years old, and my only profession is wreaking havoc and destroying lives around the galaxy!"  
  
"What's the matter with that?? I've been doing that for twenty years! You'll get used to that, N'aadija," M'aaranik said as his tone softened. For a split second, N'aadija actually got the feeling that he was concerned about her.  
  
"There's also another problem. Who will I marry? I mean, fooling around with you is all fine and good, but I need someone who'll actually commit to a lasting relationship with me!" N'aadija said.  
  
"A lasting relationship!! Hah! Don't make me sick with all of that mythological nonsense! No man would ever commit to you once he realizes how purely evil you really are! You're lucky that you have me around here to give you what you need!" M'aaranik said, exasperated.  
  
"When did you ever know what I really needed?" N'aadija said angrily and stalked off to her chambers, remembering to lock the door this time.  
  
"Females!" M'aaranik groaned, rolling his eyes. "They think what they want is a storybook marriage, but all they really want is a nice roll in the fibreplast."  
  
"Is N'aadija giving you a hard time again?" Daa'salar asked from the pilot's seat.  
  
"Yes, quite," M'aaranik said tightly, his face radiating his discomfort. He put on a headset and slowly lowered himself into the copilot's seat.  
  
"Don't worry about it. She'll snap out of it," Daa'salar said as he switched on the ship's navicomputer.  
  
"Yes, she will. She always does." M'aaranik said, his moss-green eyes staring vacantly out at the stars.  
  
Inside her room, N'aadija sat on her pallet with her knees pulled up to her chest. She stared out the window, wishing that she could be anywhere but here on this ship. She despised the way that M'aaranik always seemed to be in the mood. She couldn't remember the last time when he wasn't desiring her. She knew that he was wrong about nobody ever loving her, and she was going to make sure that he wasn't the only mate she ever had.  
  
"Somewhere out there is the perfect man for me," N'aadija whispered as a tear trickled down her cheek. She wiped it away with her hand. "You're wrong, M'aaranik. He's out there, and he's coming for me." 


	13. Premonitions

Chapter Thirteen  
  
"K'aashi, wait up!!" Noaa'lan called out as he ran to catch up with his friend. K'aashi turned around to face Noaa'lan with an annoyed look on his face.  
  
"Man, as if this night wasn't bad enough! Now you gotta' come and ask me if I'm dealing with it all right!"  
  
"I . . . I didn't say anything yet, K'aashi," Noaa'lan stated in confusion.  
  
"You didn't have to. You were thinking it. Look Noaa'lan, I can't believe that S'aalia stood me up after I asked her to come!! I mean, how rude is that?" K'aashi exclaimed.  
  
"Pretty rude, I'd say. K'aashi, this wouldn't be the first time you've been stood up! What is so special about this girl?"  
  
"She's more than special. She's like a goddess! Just the way she looks, and she acts! She's enough to drive a guy wild!" K'aashi said with a grin.  
  
"Maybe she's just playing you. Have you ever considered that??" Noaa'lan asked, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Oh, well this is one game that she's not going to win, I'm telling you that right now!" K'aashi said with a look of determination on his face. "Noaa'lan, she is one heck of a good-looking girl, and I'm going to show her what a real man is like!"  
  
"Are you now?" asked a voice in a teasing tone. Giggles erupted from the shadows as S'aalia and her friends approached the two young men. "K'aashi, I think you better take a hint and realize that I'm not interested!"  
  
"How do you know you're not interested if you never even gave me the time of day?" K'aashi asked defensively.  
  
"Sorry K'aashi, but you're not in my league," S'aalia said, shrugging her shoulders.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"What it means is that you're a trashy guy who sleeps around," One of S'aalia's friends said with a smirk. "S'aalia didn't want to have to tell you that, but you're just too stubborn to let it go!"  
  
"What?! That's a lie! I haven't ever slept with anyone!" K'aashi cried, and then gulped back air as he realized what he'd just said.  
  
"You haven't?" Noaa'lan asked in shock.  
  
"No! Sadly enough, no." K'aashi hissed. "Look, it must be nice to have all of your friends say the difficult things for you, but I'd like to hear what S'aalia has to say!"  
  
"Here it is, K'aashi," S'aalia said with an amused smile on her face. "You're a slimy lowlife who just doesn't know when to quit! You're stubborn, overbearing, and annoying!!"  
  
"Yes, all of this I know to be true. Your point is?" K'aashi asked, grinning back at her.  
  
"Come on girls. This jerk is never going to get the point!" S'aalia said, glaring at K'aashi over her shoulder as she left.  
  
"Man, frost alert!! I don't know what I could have been thinking with her!" K'aashi laughed.  
  
"At least you finally got over it. I'm not sure it would be healthy to get hung up on a girl like her." Noaa'lan said with a smile.  
  
"No, my friend. The only regret I have is you finding out how pure I really am!" K'aashi said, doubling over.  
  
"Purity of the body, maybe, but purity of the mind, never in a million years!" Noaa'lan laughed.  
  
"Hey, watch it!!" K'aashi said. "Man, it's been an interesting week, but all I really want to do is go to sleep for the entire weekend! I'll see you next week Noaa'lan."  
  
"Sure thing, K'aashi," Noaa'lan said, and then he disappeared through the hedge.  
  
As Noaa'lan walked inside the palace he found that his father was still awake. He was pacing nervously around the dining hall, talking with one of his most trusted advisors. Noaa'lan could tell from his tone that something was very wrong.  
  
"Ambassador Temusa and many other government personnel died today in what looks like a carefully planned bombing. We may be dealing with terrorists," His mother explained, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Terrorists? What could they want out of us?" Noaa'lan asked in shock.  
  
"If you ask me, I think it's a personal attack on our family. It almost always is. Temusa was a good friend of ours, and the terrorists knew that his death would be a blow to the Narundis," Bel'aanaea said softly, watching her husband's agitated form move back and forth out of the corner of her eye. "Especially your father."  
  
Noaa'lan reached out with the force to touch the black hole of emptiness where the explosion had taken place. Through the massive death and destruction he could sense the vile residue of something dark, even blacker than the blackness in which it resided . . .  
  
"Darksiders . . ." Noaa'lan said, and then trailed off.  
  
"Pardon? What did you say, Noaa'lan?" Bel'aanaea asked.  
  
"The people responsible for this are Sith magicians. I sense the dark side very strongly where the bomb went off," Noaa'lan said, his blue eyes gleaming as he looked over at his father. Cel'aanaeus had stopped pacing and was now looking at him.  
  
"You can sense it too, can't you Noaa'lan?" Cel'aanaeus said grimly. "It's disguised by the blast, but it's there. I'm going to send out a message to our royal fleet, telling them not to allow any unauthorized vehicles into the system. If indeed we are dealing with Sith terrorists, then things are much graver than we could possibly imagine."  
  
"Yes, but there's no telling what they could have obtained while they were on board the Ambassador's ship! They might still manage to evade security," Noaa'lan warned.  
  
"Good thinking. I'll tell them to mandate background checks on all of the occupants of ships entering the system. That should raise our chances of apprehending whoever is responsible before they can inflict any more damage." Cel'aanaeus said, and then he hurried off to deliver the message.  
  
"How was your date?" Bel'aanaea asked, smiling secretively.  
  
"How . . .how did you know about that?" Noaa'lan asked with a bemused expression on his face.  
  
"Your father informed me of the situation. So, you and J'aa'nalia are an item, much to your father's disappointment, I might add," Bel'aanaea proclaimed.  
  
"You're not upset with my decision, are you? I mean, I really do love her, mother!" Noaa'lan said, almost pleading with his mother to support him.  
  
"Calm down! You've obviously had a very long night, and you need your rest! Of course I support you with this! I'm not as strict as your father, as you must know! However, I will warn you not to ignore the risks of your actions. You've probably heard all of this from your father, many times, so I feel no need to remind you again. Now, off to bed with you!" Bel'aanaea said quietly.  
  
Noaa'lan eagerly complied with his mother, and within minutes he was fast asleep.  
  
************  
  
Noaa'lan walked quietly through the corridors of the palace on a bright morning, but his world seemed anything but sunny. Something was making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and he just couldn't put his finger on it. He was almost to the bottom of the grand staircase when he saw a female figure dart out from behind a pillar and race down the back stairs to the kitchen. Noaa'lan followed her, reaching down unconsciously to unclasp his lightsaber from his belt. As he crept cautiously down the stairs, the carvings on the wall came to life and sprung out at him. They moaned to him that he was in danger, and that darkness was near.  
  
'I must be dreaming! The statues down here don't come to life!!' Noaa'lan rationalized. The strangeness of the situation had roused his curiosity, and he had to know why this strange woman was running through his house. He came to the end of the passageway, and peered out into the kitchen, which was bathed in the flickering sunlight of the morning. The sun came to rest upon two figures, one of which was the mysterious woman Noaa'lan had seen running from him. They seemed to be quite intimately involved and were kissing each other passionately as they leaned up against the counter. Noaa'lan watched in horror as he realized that the man kissing the woman was his own brother. Luckily, Kahl'aan hadn't noticed his brother was watching him, and he continued to kiss and caress the strange woman.  
  
'I must really be dreaming, because Kahl'aan isn't even interested in dating yet!' thought Noaa'lan as he smiled to himself. He continued to watch the two of them as the dream became more graphic. Suddenly Noaa'lan was concerned that Kahl'aan wasn't taking into consideration the consequences of his actions.  
  
"Are you sure your ready for this, Kahl'aan?" asked the woman as she breathed heavily.  
  
"Oh, I am so ready!! Lets go, right now, right here!" Kahl'aan moaned as he continued to kiss her.  
  
Noaa'lan looked on with an intense sense of confusion and disbelief. He couldn't believe that this was his brother talking! Kahl'aan would never act like that, not at his age. Upon closer examination of his brother's face, Noaa'lan noticed that his brother looked much older than he really was, which alarmed Noaa'lan. What would father say when he found out about Kahl'aan and this girl he was obviously very friendly with? He decided that this was just too much. He'd have to spare his brother the aggravation of dealing with his father, partially because he couldn't stand to see any more of the two of them together. Noaa'lan's feet had been frozen to the ground, as if something in the dream was forcing him to stay in one spot and witness the entire ordeal. He quickly became unglued as he burst forward into the kitchen.  
  
"Kahl'aan, you're making a big mistake!! What you're doing is dangerous, I can sense it!!" Noaa'lan yelled at his brother, who seemed to be unconcerned with what Noaa'lan was telling him. He continued to make love to the young woman, and Noaa'lan watched as she clawed Kahl'aan's back.  
  
"Go away, Noaa'lan! You've got your own girl, so just leave us alone!"  
  
"Don't you even care if father walks in and sees you like this? He'll kill you!!" Noaa'lan cried.  
  
"Look, why don't you go back upstairs and be with your wife!? She's waiting for you, Noaa'lan," Kahl'aan said, his voice suddenly calmer than before.  
  
"Noaa'lan?" called a voice from upstairs.  
  
"J'aa'nie??" Noaa'lan asked, sounding hopeful.  
  
"Honey, come back to bed. It's still early!" J'aa'nalia's soft voice echoed down through the passageway.  
  
"Go to her, Noaa'lan," Kahl'aan said from behind him. He turned around in shock to see his brother standing there, fully clothed. The young woman was standing behind Kahl'aan, leaning up against the table. He finally got a good look at her. She had a very pretty youthful face with sparkling blue eyes and shiny indigo hair. Her short hair framed her face and in certain sections was longer than the rest. Her skimpy, tight clothing was either a sign of a middle class background or an indication that she was trying to entice his brother to make love to her. Noaa'lan wasn't sure which. He just knew that she was tall, slender, and beautiful. He congratulated his brother on making such a find, and then walked back up the stairs to where J'aa'nalia was waiting for him.  
  
"You wouldn't believe what I just saw Kahl'aan doing down there!" Noaa'lan said, grinning at J'aa'nalia.  
  
"Oh, I can imagine! Why don't we join them with that??" J'aa'nie said in a teasing tone, and then led Noaa'lan up the stairs to their bedroom.  
  
Noaa'lan woke from his dream with a start, and sat bolt upright on his sleeping pallet. He exhaled as he realized that he had been dreaming the whole thing. It was a relief that Kahl'aan hadn't been carousing with a strange woman in the kitchen, but Noaa'lan still felt uneasy about the entire dream. Was it just an innocent dream that was a product of the huge amount of stress he'd been under lately, or was it really a prediction of the future, like most of Noaa'lan's dreams were? Noaa'lan knew that he sensed something about that woman, something that was strange, almost . . .dangerous.  
  
Noaa'lan jumped to the ground and ran down the hall to his brother's room. He didn't want to take any chances if his brother really was in danger. He pushed the door open slowly to find his brother fast asleep on the floor with the disc still playing on the giant holoscreen. He shook his brother awake just to make sure he was all right. Kahl'aan gave a snort and then looked up at his brother with bleary blue eyes.  
  
"What time is it?" Kahl'aan asked sleepily. "Did I fall asleep?"  
  
"Yeah, it looks like you did. Better lay off of those hologames. You're going to give yourself eyestrain!" Noaa'lan warned, sounding more like a parent than a brother. He helped Kahl'aan up onto his sleeping pallet, for he was already nodding off again. Kahl'aan was asleep the moment his head hit he pillow, and it was obvious to Noaa'lan that he hadn't been downstairs in the kitchen with a woman!  
  
"Or is it possible?" whispered Noaa'lan under his breath. He reached out hesitantly with the force, checking Kahl'aan's back for the claw marks left by the woman. He was relieved when he found none. Noaa'lan chuckled to himself as he left the room, scolding himself for even thinking that his brother could have done such a thing! Kahl'aan was a pest, and sometimes he could be downright ruthless with his nagging and bribery, but he was innocent when it came to romantic matters. Noaa'lan knew he could count on Kahl'aan to scoff in the face of true love, and he liked it that way. Noaa'lan closed the door quietly so he wouldn't wake his sleeping brother and traveled down the hall to his room. His sleeping pallet looked so warm and welcoming, and as far as Noaa'lan was concerned he didn't have a care in the world. He lay down and within a few minutes he drifted off into a fitful sleep. 


	14. True Love?

Chapter Fourteen  
  
"By the Sith's evil eye, she's finally risen from the dead!" M'aaranik said with a sly smile as he leaned back in his chair.  
  
N'aadija yawned and stretched, and then flopped herself down in her seat behind the co-pilot's. She felt warm, comfortable, and content, and she wasn't ready to wake up just yet.  
  
M'aaranik swiveled around in his chair to gaze at N'aadija sitting there half asleep. Her cheeks and lips were flushed pink and her hair fell softly across her closed eyes.  
  
"My, you look radiant this morning," M'aaranik commented, waking N'aadija with a start. She glanced at him curiously, looking for any sign of sarcasm in his face.  
  
"I don't see how that's possible. I've made no efforts to make myself beautiful just yet. I'm wearing Daa'salar's old work shirt and a pair of slacks, but whatever you say, M'aaranik," N'aadija snapped, giving him a grin.  
  
"You'd look good even if you wore nothing but a N'aatuch hide with rags on your feet," M'aaranik muttered.  
  
"What did you say?" N'aadija asked, casting him a look of warning.  
  
"Oh, nothing. How was your night's sleep? You seem to be cheerful, so I take it that you had pleasant dreams," M'aaranik purred, relishing the warm smile N'aadija gave him that confirmed his suspicions. He approached her and knelt down beside her chair.  
  
"Well . . . I did dream a little," N'aadija said secretively.  
  
"Oh, and were any of those dreams about me? Hmmm?" M'aaranik asked hopefully.  
  
"Yes, I believe that in one of them I beheaded you! It was quite an . . . enjoyable experience," N'aadija said wryly, biting her lip to keep from busting out with laughter.  
  
"I'll bet," M'aaranik said, giving her that half-smile he always gave her when he didn't approve of her sense of humor. His dull eyes told her that he was definitely not amused.  
  
"No, M'aaranik. I didn't dream of you. In fact, I don't have a clue whom I dreamed of. All I know was that he was tall, dark-haired, muscular-" N'aadija said and then paused. She saw the smug expression on M'aaranik's face and realized that her description was too close to his own physical characteristics. She'd have to give his ego a little twist. "-And handsome. Sorry, M'aaranik. That counts you out! He also had these AMAZING blue eyes that just bore into me when I kissed him, and he was so sensitive and gentle, and sweet, and all of the things you're not, M'aaranik!"  
  
M'aaranik narrowed his eyes into slits and smiled all the more with every insult she threw at him. She could tell that she was getting to him, and that she better watch out. As she made her last insult, she reached out and touched M'aaranik mischievously on the tip of his nose. She turned away, smiling to herself for showing that jerk what she thought of him.  
  
M'aaranik reached out to grab N'aadija and pulled her toward him. She gave a high-pitched shriek of fear as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her zealously. Her initial reaction was one of complete bewilderment, for she didn't expect him to react in such a manner. She expected to get hit or scratched, not kissed. Then she noted that he'd never kissed her like this before. There was something almost tender about it . . .  
  
M'aaranik finally broke off the kiss and he smiled at the sight of N'aadija standing there in his arms with her eyes closed and her full lips slightly parted. She slowly opened up her eyes and gave him the seductive smile of hers that he loved so much.  
  
"How was that?" M'aaranik asked. "Was it as good as your mystery man?"  
  
"Oh, even better!" N'aadija gasped, pulling him in for another passionate kiss.  
  
"Um . . .Daa'salar? N'aadija has asked me to . . . help her pick out an outfit for today," M'aaranik said shakily as N'aadija continued to kiss him. "Are you sure you're going to- enough N'aadija! - Are you sure you'll be able to handle things up here?"  
  
"Sure thing, boss," Daa'salar droned as he shook his head and rolled his eyes. He smirked as he realized that he never did get much help from either one of them on voyages, or any other time for that matter. He wondered to himself if he was the only one who was at all worried about what they'd be facing when they reached the N'aanwarian System. M'aaranik seemed confident that they'd pass smoothly into the sector without much hassle, but Daa'salar wasn't convinced at all. His keen sense for danger was being thrown off the scale by something, and he was certain that they'd be facing trouble.  
  
'Oh well,' Thought Daa'salar. 'It's better to be in trouble later than right at this instant. I for one don't want to face M'aaranik's wrath this early in the morning.'  
  
M'aaranik ran his hand down N'aadija's bare leg as he kissed her shoulders tenderly. She smiled and closed her eyes, basking in the glow of what they had just done. She was convinced that she had never felt so good in her life as she felt at this very moment. She held M'aaranik's head to her breast and gently stroked his hair. She felt his shoulders heave as he let out a content sigh. It was clear that neither one of them wanted to ever leave this moment, or this bed, because on the outside lay the cold nothingness of space. N'aadija didn't want to venture out there. No. All she wanted was to stay here, in the comfort and warmth of M'aaranik's arms.  
  
"N'aadija?" M'aaranik asked softly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What do you think we should do about disguising ourselves, just in case security does decide to come on board and take a look around?"  
  
"You had to ruin it, didn't you! By the Sith's Dark Lightning, M'aaranik! We had a perfect moment! Why did you have to bring up that stupid mission again?!" N'aadija said, sitting up and turning away from him.  
  
M'aaranik soothed his hands down her back and hugged her close.  
  
"You know I didn't want to think about it, N'aadija! It's just that it's of such profound importance that I can't seem to get my mind off of it for very long! However, you did a very nice job of it, my beautiful accomplice!" M'aaranik said, kissing her playfully on the cheek.  
  
"Beautiful?" Asked N'aadija, giving M'aaranik a suspicious smile. "You never used that word to describe me before. Most of the time I'm seen as sexy, delicious, hot, and cute, but I've never heard you call me beautiful!"  
  
"What's your point? You're all of those things and beautiful besides! Don't tell me that you aren't aware of your own stunning beauty!?" M'aaranik said, cupping N'aadija's face in his hands.  
  
"No, it's just that I thought . . ." N'aadija muttered, trailing off.  
  
"You thought what?" M'aaranik asked, raising an eyebrow at N'aadija.  
  
"I thought that I sensed something. I could feel the strong emotions that you were giving off, and I thought for a second that you might be . . . falling in love with me," N'aadija whispered.  
  
"Ah, there you go again with that idea of love!! N'aadija, why won't you understand that there's no such thing as true love! I'm not in this to make a commitment, you know!"  
  
"Well, that's funny. You seemed to be pretty in love with me when you were screaming my name!" N'aadija growled angrily.  
  
"What can I say!? You were better than usual today!" M'aaranik said, giving her a roguish smile. "You know what I think? I think you were the one who was falling in love with me! Why else would you perform better?"  
  
"Oh, dream on M'aaranik! I see you haven't lost that aura of sleaze!" N'aadija snapped.  
  
"All right, N'aadija. Just keep on lying to yourself. When are you going to wake up and realize that I'm all the man you'll ever need?" M'aaranik said as he stretched out across the bed.  
  
"Stop! You're making me nauseous!" Cried N'aadija. "I'm going to go get dressed. Meanwhile, you can stay here and think about what I would have done to you if you hadn't opened up your big, fat mouth!!"  
  
"Tease!" M'aaranik yelled after her as she disappeared into her quarters. He ran his hands through his short dark hair and laughed quietly to himself.  
  
"Imagine that!" He whispered. "N'aadija's falling in love with me. Ha! Love! Whoever came up with the idea that true love could rise above all odds must have been a few Gungans short of a really cheesy holoflick! I hate to see someone as vibrant as N'aadija be bogged down by silly fantasies!"  
  
M'aaranik finished dressing and walked back into the cockpit where Daa'salar was eyeing the radar suspiciously.  
  
"Anything wrong up here?" M'aaranik asked as he saw Daa'salar's worried expression. Daa'salar gave M'aaranik an icy stare and pointed to the multiple blips on the radar up ahead.  
  
"Dammit!! Why do things always have to go this way for us!!? The entire Ch'eentae-forsaken N'aanwarian fleet is there waiting to apprehend our sorry behinds!!" M'aaranik cussed, slamming his fist against one of the control panels overhead.  
  
"What!!!?" Cried N'aadija as she raced into the cockpit. "The N'aanwarians are waiting for us!!?"  
  
"I know. It's unexpected to say the least!" Daa'salar said with a frown. "I don't know how they knew we were coming!"  
  
"Security has probably increased since we blew up the Ambassador's vessel!" Cried N'aadija. "We can thank you for this welcoming committee, M'aaranik!"  
  
"At least they don't know it's us who did it! It could be worse!!" M'aaranik snapped back. "Say, you look pretty good in that outfit! Very good, in fact!"  
  
"Can it, M'aaranik! Now is not the time for games! We need a plan, and fast!" N'aadija yelled.  
  
"Whatever you say, Great Leader!" M'aaranik said sarcastically. "Just make it quick, because we're coming up on them pretty soon!"  
  
The small ship hurtled though the cloudy atmosphere that surrounded the N'aanwarian system and at last the fleet came into sight. There were many ships lined up, trying to get through the security check point. The three dark jedi stared at the sight with open mouths, and they knew they weren't going to have an easy time making it through this.  
  
"Relax, guys," Said N'aadija, her smile growing larger every second. "I've got an idea!" 


	15. Non-Existant Past

Chapter Fifteen  
  
"I'm telling you Noaa'lan, I'm not interested in anyone!! Just because you have some dumb dream about me and a woman doesn't mean it's going to come true!" Kahl'aan said with a sneer.  
  
"What's this about you and a woman, Kahl'aan?" Asked Cel'aanaeus as he entered the kitchen.  
  
"Oh, nothing. Braa'kae-brain over here had a stupid dream where I was kissing a woman and he thinks it's going to come true!!" Kahl'aan yelled with an appalled expression on his face.  
  
"Uh, you were doing more with her than just kissing her, Kahl'aan," Noaa'lan pointed out.  
  
"Whatever! Anyways, Noaa'lan was so sure that it actually happened that he came in to check on me last night, father!!"  
  
"Your brother was just showing you that he cared about you, that's all. I'd say he acted responsibly!" Cel'aanaeus said, giving Noaa'lan an approving glance.  
  
"Yeah, but how many guys my age have an older brother who checks up on them when THEY'RE the ones having the bad dream!!? Or, was it such a bad dream, Noaa'lan? Tell me, did seeing me with that woman turn you on?" Kahl'aan sneered, baiting his brother.  
  
"Knock it off!!" Noaa'lan warned his brother. "Believe me, I didn't want to see what you were doing, but I was stuck in one place and I couldn't move from it. It was as if something were forcing me to keep on watching you two."  
  
"Oh. So, what did this girl look like?" Kahl'aan asked eagerly.  
  
"Why would you want to even get your hopes up if you're so sure you'll never see her?" Noaa'lan snapped.  
  
"Just tell me what she looked like! I want to know!"  
  
"All right. She was tall, slender, scantily-dressed, and beautiful. She had short, indigo hair with piercing blue eyes. You could never miss her if you saw her, because she's so exotic!" Noaa'lan said, leaning in so their father couldn't hear them over the noise of the kitchen.  
  
"Scantily-dressed, huh?" Kahl'aan said with a grin. "Sounds like K'aashi's type of girl!!"  
  
"Hey, shut up!! I'm telling him you said that!!"  
  
Kahl'aan continued to laugh as the servants brought them their breakfast. For a long time there wasn't any talking as the family ate, but then Cel'aanaeus looked up from his plate with an amused expression on his face.  
  
"Kahl'aan, you do realize that whenever your brother has a dream it usually comes true, don't you?"  
  
"Sure, but I still can't imagine myself at this age with a woman like that! Or any woman, for that matter!!" Kahl'aan proclaimed.  
  
"Oh, quit being so stuffy!! You're going to fall in love! Just give it time!!" Noaa'lan cried, his mouth still half-full of food.  
  
"I'd rather that Kahl'aan keep his point of view for now, Noaa'lan. He's correct with his assertion that he's too young to date. I would have great reservations about him dating a woman who was as "scantily-dressed" as the one in your dream, and I hope that it never happens!" Cel'aanaeus said calmly.  
  
A smile slowly crept across Kahl'aan's face. Noaa'lan could easily tell what he was thinking about.  
  
"Aa'natlan and I were going to go out on the boat and go sea diving, if that's all right with you, father," Kahl'aan said as they were finishing up the meal.  
  
"That's no problem with me. Noaa'lan, do you have any plans for today?" Cel'aanaeus asked.  
  
"Yeah, K'aashi and I were going to check out the Academy's library and see if we can't get some research done on a study we're doing," Noaa'lan said truthfully.  
  
"Man, you never go out and just enjoy yourself, Noaa'lan!" Kahl'aan said in a taunting manner.  
  
"Look, I know you just said that to gloat that you don't have any work to do on the weekends, but at my level in schooling there's always work to do!!" Noaa'lan retorted.  
  
"Well, both of you go out and enjoy your day," Bel'aanaea said with a smile. "Oh, and Noaa'lan?"  
  
"Yeah?" Noaa'lan said as he turned around in the doorway.  
  
"Don't forget to have a little bit of fun today, ok?"  
  
"I won't, mother." Noaa'lan said as he kissed her goodbye, and then he headed out the door.  
  
K'aashi was waiting for him on the steps of the library, holding his notebook and a towel. He smiled as he saw Noaa'lan coming and waved.  
  
"I knew you wouldn't stand me up!" K'aashi said with a grin.  
  
"Why would I? You know how important this could be for me if you're little hunch about the feud is a correct one!" Noaa'lan said.  
  
"Well, whatever your father is holding from you has to be significant, or else he would have told you, am I right?" K'aashi asked as he opened up the door to the library.  
  
"Well, of course. Whatever it is that he's hiding is the source of the feud," Noaa'lan stated.  
  
"Well, it must be pretty juicy information if he never told you about what happened!!" K'aashi said gleefully, his eyes opening wide.  
  
"Oh no! I'm not going to let this turn into an all-out hunt for gossip!!" Noaa'lan exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air and turning to leave. "I know you too well, K'aashi!"  
  
"Wait!! That's not my reason for helping you!" K'aashi yelled after him.  
  
"Well, then what is?" Noaa'lan asked angrily.  
  
"You're my best friend, Noaa'lan. I want you to be happy, and if happiness is being with J'aa'nalia then we have to investigate! Am I right?"  
  
Noaa'lan frowned at his friend, but gradually his frown melted away to a smile. He gave a small snort and then shook his head.  
  
"Ah! What am I doubting you for, K'aashi!? Come on! Lets go find out what happened!"  
  
"Now you're talking! So, where do you think we should start?" K'aashi asked.  
  
"I think we could find something in the old news archives. K'aashi, I just have to ask you one thing," Noaa'lan said with a smirk.  
  
"Yeah, what is it?" K'aashi said, looking back at Noaa'lan as he walked up the stairs.  
  
"Why are you carrying a towel with you?"  
  
"Well, I though we could do this for half of the day, and go vortex skiing for the second half! I mean, you've got the boat ready, right??" K'aashi asked.  
  
"No. My brother went out on it with his friend! They'll probably be gone all day!!" Noaa'lan said with frustration.  
  
"Aw man!! There goes all of my plans! You got any other ones??"  
  
"Unfortunately I don't. I planned on spending the entire day looking for information about the feud," Noaa'lan said as he put his satchel down on the table in front of the holoarchive.  
  
"Well, I'll go look through the political articles, because something's bound to turn up about this in there," K'aashi said, turning to walk away.  
  
"Wait, K'aashi!! Are you crazy?! None of the political articles ever have anything on the royal family! We try to keep hidden from the public eye, and so far we've done a good job of it!!" Noaa'lan hissed.  
  
"Well, your family had a pretty good track record for being secretive until you started to fall for J'aa'nalia," K'aashi said with a grin.  
  
"Yes, after they get done with us you'll be able to find out about the royal family on the cover of every magazine and tabloid around the galaxy!" Noaa'lan exclaimed. "Personally, I think that's just what my family needs. Maybe it would get rid of the stuffiness."  
  
"Maybe. Well, shall we start our search?" K'aashi asked, shrugging his shoulders.  
  
"Indeed. Best of luck, my friend," Noaa'lan said, slapping K'aashi encouragingly on the shoulder.  
  
Noaa'lan looked at the articles zip by in bright neon flashes on the holoarchive screen. The entire sight gave him an intense feeling of motion sickness, and he tried hard to keep his mind off of the strong sense of nausea that was churning up his stomach.  
  
"Found anything yet, K'aash?" He asked, his glazed-over eyes not moving from the screen.  
  
"Nothing yet. Whoa, man! You're turning a delightful shade of green over there! How about I take over that for a little while?"  
  
"Fine with me," Noaa'lan said, getting up from in front of the screen. He stumbled as he got up from the dizziness. "Oh, man I feel sick!!"  
  
"Yeah, you look pretty sick too! Why don't you go out and get some fresh air? Go across the street and see if you can't find us some lunch!"  
  
"Ohhhh, please don't talk about food! Not now!" Noaa'lan moaned, holding his stomach.  
  
"Go outside!!" K'aashi yelled with a grin, and Noaa'lan urgently obeyed.  
  
Noaa'lan sat down on the steps with his head between his knees. He took deeps breaths, trying to calm the queasiness that rushed over him. He just about had it under control when a pair of sparkly red designer sandals appeared before him.  
  
"Hey, funny seeing you here! You feeling all right?"  
  
Noaa'lan shook his head as J'aa'nalia crouched down in front of him.  
  
"J'aa'nie, I'd advise moving, because I feel like I'm going to be sick!" Noaa'lan said urgently, his breathing becoming rapid.  
  
J'aa'nalia quickly got up and moved to his side. She reached out to touch his stomach, using the force to quell the nausea. Noaa'lan felt it subside almost instantly, and he looked up gratefully into J'aa'nalia's eyes.  
  
"Feeling better?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks!" Noaa'lan said, beaming at her.  
  
"Why were you feeling so sick??" She asked.  
  
"I guess I got holoarchive motion sickness," Noaa'lan said with a chuckle, shaking his head.  
  
"I've never heard of that happening before, but then again I've never really been around one," J'aa'nalia said softly.  
  
"Well, neither have I, and that's probably why I was dumb enough to use one in the first place!" Noaa'lan laughed.  
  
"So, do you have a big report that you're doing research for??" J'aa'nalia asked.  
  
"Well, kind of," Noaa'lan said quietly. "Do you promise you won't tell anybody this?" J'aa'nalia nodded her head and leaned in closer to hear him speak.  
  
"We're researching the cause of the feud between my father and your father. Nobody besides the two of them knows what really happened, or if someone else knows then they're not telling the truth. One or the other!"  
  
"Pardon me for saying so, but I think this is crazy, Noaa'lan!! Could you imagine what your father or my father would say or do if they found out we were working on this?!!" J'aa'nalia cried.  
  
"I never said you had to work on it with us, J'aa'nie!" Noaa'lan said, his face radiating concern.  
  
"Well, I am going to help you. I've made up my mind," J'aa'nalia said stubbornly, smiling at him. "I've said it before, Noaa'lan. We make a great team!"  
  
"J'aa'nie, I didn't mean for you to get wrapped up in this!!" Noaa'lan pleaded with her.  
  
"Too late. So, do you need me to help you work the holoarchive? I can do that, unless I also get motion sickness from it!"  
  
"All right, you can do that. So, what do you know about the feud?" Noaa'lan asked curiously.  
  
"Well, I'm the youngest and most sheltered in my family, so the answer to that is 'next to nothing'. The only thing that I know about my father and the feud is that everything that goes wrong is somehow the fault of those 'evil, thieving Narundis'!!" J'aa'nalia exclaimed.  
  
"That part I know about. Why does he always say that the Narundi family is 'thieving'?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe your father stole something from him! It's possible, because my father hardly ever makes accusations without having a good reason to do so!" J'aa'nalia explained.  
  
"Yeah, but my father is one of the most honest people that I know! He'd never steal anything from anybody!" Noaa'lan said with certainty.  
  
"Well, that's what we're here to find out, now isn't it?" J'aa'nalia said, flashing him one of her brightest smiles. "Now come on! You don't want to make K'aashi do all of the work, do you?"  
  
"No, I guess not," Noaa'lan said, smiling back at her as they walked back into the library. "You're as beautiful as ever this morning, J'aa'nalia!"  
  
Noaa'lan leaned forward to kiss her and he felt the electricity as their lips met.  
  
"What in the world do you think you're doing?!!" growled a low voice. "Don't you kids know that there's no talking and no displays of affection allowed in the library?!!"  
  
Noaa'lan turned to face the older N'aanwarian, and he immediately saw the man drop to his knees in front of him.  
  
"Oh, forgive me, Your Highness! I didn't mean to speak to you in such a disrespectful manner!" The older man cried.  
  
"No, it's perfectly all right! Stand back up, please!" Noaa'lan insisted, motioning to the man to get up. "You were right about us not following the rules around here. I don't feel that just because I'm royalty I'm above the law. I'll respect your authority, and you don't need to be fearful."  
  
"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty," The man gushed. "You are as wise and compassionate as they say you are."  
  
"Who's 'they'?" Noaa'lan asked with curiosity.  
  
"Why the council of elders, Your Grace. They know an awful lot about you."  
  
"Do you know if they know anything about my father?" Noaa'lan asked hopefully, his blue eyes opening wide with anticipation.  
  
"Your Highness, you must not pay much attention to politics! Your father is on the council!" The Man insisted. Noaa'lan felt his heart fall when he heard this. Beside him he could feel J'aa'nalia's hopes plummet through the floor as well. They both wanted to find out the truth, more than anything.  
  
"Well, thank you for telling us about the council. I'm sure they can be of some use to us with our research," J'aa'nalia said with a small smile.  
  
"I'm glad I could be of service. Anything for our future King!" The man called after them as they ran up the stairs. "Hey, no running in the library!!"  
  
"K'aashi, how's it going up here?" Noaa'lan asked.  
  
"Well, I've looked through all of the articles during that time period, and I found absolutely nothing about your father and R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi. The record is absolutely clean of all traces of either of them." K'aashi muttered dejectedly.  
  
"There's something odd about that," J'aa'nalia said softly.  
  
"What? Are you sensing something is wrong, J'aa'nie?" Noaa'lan asked with concern.  
  
"Yeah. It just doesn't make sense that my father would be totally wiped out from the record! I mean, surely he would have some articles written about him! He was one of your grandfather's best students, Noaa'lan. He and your father were virtually equals! I mean, I can see that your father would be missing from the record, because he's the King. However, my father . . . something's just not right!" J'aa'nalia said, touching her chin as she paced back and forth.  
  
"She's got a point, Noaa'lan. There is something wrong about that," K'aashi said quietly.  
  
"Well, I don't know about all of you, but I think better on a full stomach," Noaa'lan said. "How about we go grab us a bite to eat?"  
  
"I'm good with that," J'aa'nalia said.  
  
"Me too. Lets go," K'aashi said eagerly.  
  
"Last one to Y'aatlan's is a rotten d'naakai!!!" Noaa'lan cried as he raced down the stairs toward the front door with K'aashi and J'aa'nalia following in close behind.  
  
"NO RUNNING!!!!" Yelled the man as they passed by in a blur. None of them heard him for they were all too busy laughing. 


	16. Confrontation

Chapter Sixteen  
  
"Rogue-class passenger cruiser, please identify your passengers and state your mission," Lieutenant K'aanar said dryly, his voice crackling over the transmission.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Rogue shuttle, please identify yourself!" The lieutenant repeated.  
  
Silence.  
  
Cayaa'lan K'aanar lifted his head to stare out the command shuttle's viewport at the dark, lifeless vessel. Until now his job had been painfully mundane, and he'd cursed his commanding officer for assigning him to this mission. He was an able-bodied soldier, and surely he could serve His Majesty the King in a better fashion than this!  
  
"Unidentified vessel, if you do not state your names and mission immediately we'll be forced to board your ship."  
  
"What we got here, K'aanar? Troublemakers?" Asked Captain J'aarukai.  
  
"Yes sir," Said Cayaa'lan as he reached out to grab his blaster. "We might finally see some action around here!"  
  
"You got your team assembled to search the vessel?" Asked the captain.  
  
"All ready to go, sir," The lieutenant barked as the search team assembled in front of him.  
  
The men waited as the two ships docked with each other. Once the captain said it was clear to go the lieutenant motioned for his men to follow him onto the suspicious shuttlecraft.  
  
Cayaa'lan blinked as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the silent ship. His rudimentary jedi skills were going crazy, and he knew that danger was near.  
  
"Found anything yet, K'aanar?" Asked the fuzzy sounding voice of the captain over the two-way communicator.  
  
"No, she's totally empty. Still, I can't shake this feeling that something's not right here," Cayaa'lan muttered.  
  
"Well, keep searching. You're the one with the jedi powers here, and I trust your gut instincts."  
  
Cayaa'lan nodded and turned to where his sense of danger was the greatest. He motioned for his three soldiers to get behind him as he reached out to open a sliding door.  
  
Cayaa'lan looked down to see N'aadija crouched on the floor of the small storage space. She looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes.  
  
"Hi . . ." She said, smiling up at them.  
  
"Stand up," Cayaa'lan ordered, motioning to her with the barrel of his blaster.  
  
N'aadija slowly complied, putting her hands up over her head like the lieutenant ordered.  
  
"Sir, we've found one. A female N'aanwarian," Cayaa'lan said into the two- way. "It looked like she was purposely hiding from us, and I suspect that there might be more people on board."  
  
"Good work, lieutenant," Said the Captain's voice. "Secure the prisoner and bring her over to our ship. Then, continue your search."  
  
"Right away, Sir."  
  
Cayaa'lan took out a pair of stun-cuffs and motioned for N'aadija to put her arms behind her back. She followed orders, but he noticed a small smile crossing her face.  
  
"What's so funny, Miss?" The lieutenant said coldly as he secured the bindings around her wrists.  
  
"Nothing. So, what's your name, soldier?" N'aadija asked, smiling wider.  
  
"Lieutenant Cayaa'lan K'aanar, Miss," Cayaa'lan said quietly as he began to escort her toward the door.  
  
"You're quite handsome, lieutenant. My name's N'aadija. What do you say you handle me a little more gently, huh?" N'aadija said, giving him her most pleasant smile.  
  
"Beg your pardon, Miss, but you're in a lot of trouble. The Narundi Dynasty doesn't take kindly to people who don't follow military orders. Security has been increased here since our ambassador was assassinated," Cayaa'lan growled, shoving her forward. "You can never be too careful."  
  
"Is that so?" N'aadija said slyly, reaching out with the force to loosen the stun-cuffs from around her wrists. They were crossing the bridge between the two ships, and N'aadija figured she didn't have much time left to act. She quickly kicked back with her foot at the same time that she freed her hands from the stun-cuffs. She felt the sharp crunch of bones breaking from underneath the hard sole of her boot. N'aadija smiled as she heard the agonized cries of the lieutenant, and he fell to the floor in front of her as she spun around, lightsaber in hand. In one quick motion she cut two of the soldiers in half, secretly cringing as she felt the life being ripped out of them. It was not something that she enjoyed most of the time. The last soldier scrambled back toward the Dark Pirate, not wanting to join his fellow officers in death.  
  
"Going somewhere?" Daa'salar sneered, pointing a blaster straight at the center of the soldier's forehead. He quickly fired two shots, before the soldier had time to react to the weapon pointed directly at his head.  
  
"Good job, Daa'salar," M'aaranik said, emerging from the ship into the bridge. "How many more are there on their ship?"  
  
"I sense two of them. It's not too hard to detect. None of them are force sensitive." N'aadija replied with certainty.  
  
"Good. They should be easy to take on. Lets go, before they wonder where their buddies went!" M'aaranik hissed.  
  
"Wait, this one's not dead!!" N'aadija cried.  
  
"Well, are you sure!!?" M'aaranik asked, annoyed at her for holding things up.  
  
N'aadija reached down to feel for the lieutenant's pulse. A look of confusion spread across her face.  
  
"That's funny! I only broke his leg! I didn't think I killed him, but I can't feel a pulse at all!!"  
  
"Hah! You don't know your own strength, N'aadija! Come on! You've wasted enough time with this idiot!!" M'aaranik whispered harshly.  
  
The three dark jedi crossed the bridge into the other ship, where they were met immediately by Captain J'aarukai, armed with a blaster.  
  
"Halt, in the name of His Majesty!!" The captain ordered.  
  
"Oh, please!!!" M'aaranik cried in disgust, rolling his eyes and reaching out to bend the barrel of the Captain's blaster with the Force.  
  
Captain J'aarukai dropped the useless piece of metal to the floor with a clang.  
  
M'aaranik quickly pulled out his own blaster and dispatched the captain as Daa'salar went towards the cockpit to confront the pilot.  
  
N'aadija frowned as she looked down at the captain's lifeless body sprawled out on the floor. She slammed her hand down on the control to close the door that connected the two ships.  
  
"Lets get out of here!" N'aadija cried. "Oh, and the next chance we get, we're dumping the bodies!! I don't want them around in here to stink up the place!!"  
  
"As you wish, my dear N'aadija," M'aaranik said sarcastically. "That was an awful good plan you had there, taking over their ship! Simply brilliant! You're starting to think like an evil mastermind!"  
  
"Hah. Yeah," Thought N'aadija as she hung her head. M'aaranik failed to notice her sudden change of mood. The entire situation had made him cocky and in a good mood, and he wasn't paying attention to anything else but their victory.  
  
"Halt, in the name of His Majesty!!! Yeah right!! Like I'd ever obey the orders of a Narundi!!" M'aaranik said with sarcasm. When he came to the word 'Narundi' he sounded as if he had acquired a rotten taste in his mouth.  
  
N'aadija just stared out the viewport, ignoring him as they traveled off toward N'aanwaria.  
  
Cayaa'lan K'aanar opened up his eyes when he heard the sharp sounds of blaster fire. He didn't know how, but he'd been able to fool a jedi into thinking he was dead. He'd slowed his own heart rate to the point where it was undetectable, and that girl hadn't even known the difference! Something told him that those three were the people the Narundis were looking for. Still, he only managed to get a good look at the female, because he was playing dead when the two males were around. With a great amount of pain and effort Cay'aalan pulled himself along the floor of the bridge back into the Dark Pirate. He pulled himself up to his feet, cringing from the pain that throbbed up and down his shattered leg, and sealed the door to the ship shut. He promptly collapsed to the ground, the pain in his leg proving to be unbearable. He knew that he needed medical attention, but right now all he wanted to do was rest. He'd wait until they were gone, and then he'd leave to seek help.  
  
'Yes,' Thought Cayaa'lan as he passed out. 'That's what I'll do . . ." 


	17. Graa'nak the Bounty Hunter

Chapter Seventeen  
  
"Man, this place makes the second best Ch'aa'lakas in the universe!" K'aashi commented as he stuffed his mouth with food.  
  
"Oh, and who would you say makes the best," Noaa'lan asked curiously.  
  
"You do, of course! This man is the best cook out there! Nobody else can shake a G'aanha at him, J'aa'nie!" K'aashi said as he pointed at thumb at Noaa'lan.  
  
"Well, I'm glad that you're so loyal, but I like it when someone else does the cooking sometimes!" Noaa'lan said with a smile as he grabbed another handful of the greasy, batter-covered Ch'aa'lakas.  
  
"The next time you take this girl out you've got to cook her dinner, Noaa'lan! She'll be yours forever!" K'aashi said, cracking up.  
  
Noaa'lan laughed as he squeezed J'aa'nalia's shoulder, but she wasn't paying attention to their conversation. Her eyes were fixed on a far end of the room and the smile slowly faded from her face.  
  
"J'aa'nie, what's wrong? You look so pale all of a sudden," Noaa'lan asked, his brow furrowing with concern.  
  
"Over there. You see that tall man with the silver body armor and the short, dark hair? That's my cousin," She said with a shudder. "He's a very famous and deadly free-lance bounty hunter. Like my father, he absolutely despises the Narundis! I just hope he doesn't decide to pay me a visit!"  
  
"Oh, this is getting more interesting by the minute!" K'aashi said sarcastically, gritting his teeth. "Does he know what Noaa'lan looks like?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I don't think I really want to find out!" J'aa'nalia said, biting her lip nervously.  
  
"J'aa'nie!"  
  
J'aa'nalia jumped so high out of her seat that K'aashi had a hard time stifling a laugh. Noaa'lan shot him a withering glance and he quickly regained his composure.  
  
"Graa'nak, what a pleasant surprise!" J'aa'nalia said with a wide, forced smile. "What brings you around to these parts?"  
  
"Well, I came here to meet with your father, actually. He should be here any minute now," Graa'nak said, glancing at his chronometer.  
  
Noaa'lan and K'aashi exchanged looks of horror at his ominous statement. It was clearly a sentence of doom. They had to get out of there, fast!  
  
"Now tell me, who are these friends of yours?" Asked Graa'nak.  
  
"Uh, this is Noaa'lan and this is his best friend K'aashi. They're my senior guides," J'aa'nalia said quickly, hoping that Graa'nak wouldn't recognize them and that he'd move on to a different topic.  
  
"Senior guides, huh? You look awfully familiar, as if I've seen you somewhere before," He said, pointing at Noaa'lan. "What did you say his name was, J'aa'nie."  
  
"Noaa'lan . . ."  
  
The air in the room became suddenly dry and suffocating as a scowl crept slowly over Graa'nak's handsome visage. Noaa'lan could feel his breath catching in his lungs, begging to be let out. It had occurred to him that this breath might very well be his last.  
  
"No, I can't seem to put my finger on it," Graa'nak said with a sigh. "I still can't get over the thought that I know you!"  
  
"I don't think you two have ever met before," J'aa'nalia said, laughing giddily with relief that her cousin had not found them out. If her father ever knew she associated with Noaa'lan outside of the Academy she wouldn't want to think about what would happen!  
  
"Ha-ha! I guess not then!" Graa'nak laughed merrily as he stroked his goatee.  
  
"We were just about to leave, though," J'aa'nalia said, getting up from the table and motioning to the two young men to do the same.  
  
K'aashi quickly grabbed another handful of the Ch'aa'lakas and stuffed them into his mouth.  
  
"What in N'aanwaria do you mean!? Don't you want to spend some more time with the cousin that you never see? Your father would want you to talk to me, J'aa'nie!" Graa'nak said with a charming smile. "Plus, it doesn't look like your male friend here was done with his lunch!"  
  
"Well, we have to get somewhere, and we're already late! It's for school!" J'aa'nalia gushed impatiently.  
  
"Oh, well then. If it's for school then I guess you have no choice! Nice seeing you, J'aa'nie, and nice meeting you two young men as well!"  
  
The three friends threw their currency down on the counter and rushed out the door, waving over their shoulders as they left. They didn't stop running until they reached the seashore.  
  
"Oh, by the Darkside, that was close!!" J'aa'nalia gasped. "My heart is racing so fast that I don't think it'll ever slow down!!"  
  
"For a second there I thought I was dead meat! I thought your cousin was going to recognize me and whip out a blaster to blow my head off!!" Noaa'lan exclaimed, cringing from the thought.  
  
"The worst part is that he knows your name now, so he can tell R'aa'nlan that he ran into you with J'aa'nie!" K'aashi pointed out.  
  
"Please don't tell us that, K'aashi!! I don't even want to think about what will happen if he tells my father!" J'aa'nie cried, sitting down on a smooth rock by the shore.  
  
"Don't sweat it, J'aa'nalia! You can just tell him the truth, that you were working on a research project for school with us! You're in a lot of our classes, you know!" K'aashi said with encouragement.  
  
"No, he'll know that I wasn't with you guys just for academic reasons. When he finds out that you were there, Noaa'lan, I'm in trouble in more ways than one!" J'aa'nalia whimpered, burying her face in her hands.  
  
"Whoa, what do you mean, in more ways than one?" Noaa'lan asked, sitting down beside her on the rock.  
  
"Noaa'lan, I haven't been completely honest with you. Graa'nak is more to me than just my cousin, at least according to my father. I'm betrothed to him, and my father has been trying to make us acquainted to each other. Once my father finds out that I've been going places with you, he's not going to be the only one who's furious!"  
  
"You're kidding!! Your father wants you to marry your own cousin!!?" K'aashi asked in shock.  
  
"He's my second cousin. Like a lot of noble families, my family believes in keeping a close-knit family tree. It's the only way of keeping the purity of the bloodline. Noaa'lan, you probably understand what I'm talking about."  
  
"Yeah actually, I do. When my family isn't trying to consolidate power with another prominent ruling family they tend to marry within their family. My mother and father were an exception." Noaa'lan nodded, a slow, sinking feeling beginning to set into his heart.  
  
"Oh, that's just plain gross!!! I'm surprised you aren't all deformed by now!!" K'aashi said, spitting onto the sand.  
  
"You just say that because it's not familiar to your culture, K'aashi. You don't have anyone who makes the decisions for you, though," J'aa'nalia said sadly. "I'm just terrified of what Graa'nak is going to do to me if he finds out about us! I wouldn't put it past him to kill both of us!"  
  
"What I can't believe is that I didn't see this coming!!" Noaa'lan said as he threw a stick into the ocean. "I should have known that your father would be arranging for you to marry someone else! I know that he would never allow you to marry me!!"  
  
J'aa'nalia gazed at Noaa'lan with haunted eyes and a haggard expression on her face. Her hopes had been worn raw from the day's events but she was determined not to give up on him.  
  
"How can you say that? We've been trying all day to find out a way that we can be together!" J'aa'nalia protested, throwing her arms up in the air.  
  
"Well, we didn't find anything. It's obvious that we're not going to find anything!" Noaa'lan said angrily.  
  
"Yes, it is obvious, but that points out something else! We should be able to find information about what happened, which makes me believe that they're hiding something from the public and from us!" J'aa'nalia insisted, reaching out to hold Noaa'lan's hands in hers. "Please Noaa'lan, don't give up so soon! There are many ways of uncovering the truth. I'm sure that we can think of some other way to find out what happened that night!"  
  
"Well, who do you know of that was there that night?" Noaa'lan asked.  
  
"I told you! I don't know a thing! If I knew anything about it, I would have told you when I first learned of your plans!" J'aa'nalia cried in frustration.  
  
"Well, we feel that Professor S'aahai might have been there that night," K'aashi said, piping up.  
  
"Oh, good luck trying to get him to tell you anything! The man hates you vehemently!" J'aa'nalia said with a smirk. "Well, it doesn't look like we're going to have much of a choice. So, indulge me! How are we going to get him to tell us the truth?"  
  
"I think that K'aashi might prove useful with that plan," Noaa'lan said, casting a fiendish smile at his best friend.  
  
"Oh no! I'm definitely not becoming involved with that crazy psycho-girl just so you two can have your fun! I learned my lesson!" K'aashi growled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"Come on, K'aashi! I'm not asking you to marry the girl! I'm just asking you to become friends with her! She'll be able to tell you all about her uncle's past, I'm sure!"  
  
"What if she knows as much about it as we do? The adults around here seem to be really good at keeping secrets, Noaa'lan! Then, she'll think that I actually like her, which is not the case!" K'aashi said sternly.  
  
"It's amazing how fast your tastes change, K'aashi! Just yesterday you were telling me how you were going to show her what a real man was like!" Noaa'lan chuckled. He heard a small snort coming from behind him as J'aa'nalia began to laugh as well.  
  
"Ok, maybe I exaggerate just a little. I guess I can do that for you," K'aashi said reluctantly.  
  
"Thanks K'aashi. You're a real great friend," Noaa'lan said, patting him on the back.  
  
"I know. So, are we going back to the library?" K'aashi asked with a smile.  
  
"No, we're going back to the Academy. I think I know where we can find S'aalia," Noaa'lan said as he began to walk up the sand dune toward the Academy. K'aashi shrugged at J'aa'nalia and then the two of them followed quietly behind. High above them the midday sun blazed bright and sultry in the clear blue sky, blurring the boundary between the sand and waves. Through the middle of it they walked onward. 


	18. Harboring Feelings

Chapter Eighteen  
  
"Well done, Daa'salar!" M'aaranik laughed fiendishly as he joined him in the cockpit. "Now there's nothing standing between us and the Narundis!"  
  
"Oh please! Cliché!!" N'aadija said, rolling her eyes at him.  
  
"Shut your mouth!" M'aaranik growled. "I've had enough of your sarcasm for one day!  
  
"Then don't even think of coming on to me for the rest of today," N'aadija mumbled with a smug smile.  
  
"What did you say," M'aaranik said, a hint of warning in his voice. N'aadija gave him her most charming smile as he slowly turned around to face her.  
  
"Daa'salar, remind me again why we shouldn't take our smart-alecky female companion and introduce her to the ship's refuse chute!" M'aaranik said, smiling venomously at N'aadija.  
  
N'aadija glared at him and lifted the corner of her mouth in a snarl. M'aaranik got up from his seat and stalked fluidly over to where she was standing. He moved so quickly that she barely had enough time to react before he thrust her shoulders against the wall.  
  
"Why must you always cross me? I grow tired of your insolence, N'aadija," M'aaranik whispered softly into her ear as she strained to get away. "Now, are we going to cooperate, or am I going to have to break a few bones?"  
  
"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction," N'aadija smiled as she stopped struggling.  
  
"I bet not," M'aaranik grumbled, letting up his grip on her. N'aadija rubbed her sore shoulder, casting silent curses at him as he turned away from her.  
  
"Boss! We've got a small problem here!" Daa'salar said, frantically motioning toward the cockpit.  
  
M'aaranik rushed in to hear a transmission from the N'aanwarian Royal Fleet crackle over the ship's comm. unit.  
  
"Gold Rogue 1881, we received your distress call. What seems to be the problem?"  
  
"Um, nothing at the moment, my commander. We had a bit of a commotion when a few weapons malfunctioned, but everything is currently under complete control," M'aaranik said in the Captain's voice.  
  
"Weapons malfunction? Is anyone injured?"  
  
N'aadija reached out and smacked M'aaranik angrily on the back of the head. When he turned around she mouthed the word "stupid!". M'aaranik ignored her and returned to the transmission.  
  
"Not that I can tell, sir. Everyone here is present and accounted for," M'aaranik replied calmly.  
  
"All right then. Carry on," Crackled the voice, and then it fell silent.  
  
"We should be thankful that the comm. unit doesn't have a holoscreen, or else they would have had your hide for sure!" N'aadija snapped. "They almost had us with that stupid remark about the weapons! Why can't you lie effectively, M'aaranik?"  
  
"Oh, you know I can lie effectively, N'aadija," M'aaranik purred with a smile. "In fact, I'm a virtual master at lying! I only said that thing about the weapons malfunction because I knew it would get a rise out of you!"  
  
"Oh, you stupid, overconfident, sn'aala-brained idiot!!" N'aadija said, fuming. "Someday you're going to be your own downfall!!"  
  
"Yes, someday," Mused M'aaranik with a smile, "But not today. Today, we shall triumph!"  
  
"I'm glad that one of us is optimistic!" N'aadija said with a half-smile as she put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Oh, believe me N'aadija. The Narundis are the overconfident ones, and they'll be fairly easy to overthrow, once I put my plan into action. Then, once they're gone, I'll be King, and you two will be my highest officers!" M'aaranik proclaimed.  
  
"I can't wait," N'aadija muttered under her breath.  
  
"Oh, how soon I forget. You don't want to be my highest officer! You want to be my queen!!" M'aaranik said with an devilish grin.  
  
"Take that big, fat mouth of yours and shut it!!" N'aadija snapped angrily.  
  
"Ah, such harsh words from such a beautiful woman!! They are the words of a stubborn child that sees something that can never belong to her!" M'aaranik said, his voice taking on a dreamy quality.  
  
"I have enough problems dealing with the likes of you on a daily basis! I don't need your smug attitude added onto the pile!!" N'aadija yelled.  
  
"Oh, am I getting to you N'aadija??" M'aaranik said, sliding his arms around her waist from behind. "I think you'd take me, smugness and all. That's why there's such fire in your words!!"  
  
N'aadija whirled around and swung her open hand to smack him, but M'aaranik gripped her wrist and pulled her closer. She felt the warmth of his breath on her cheek, and it only made her heart pound harder in her chest.  
  
"Lets not forget who's bigger, stronger, and the better jedi here, my dear N'aadija," M'aaranik breathed in a barely audible whisper. "Think about that the next time you try acting out of line!"  
  
N'aadija looked up at him with tired, glazed over eyes, and nodded. She was sick of fighting with M'aaranik anyway. Sensing her desire for reconciliation, M'aaranik wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. She sighed in exhaustion as she rested her head against his chest, allowing his warmth to comfort her.  
  
"Long day, huh?" M'aaranik muttered softly against her forehead. "I'm sorry that I lose my temper so easily, N'aadija. I really would never hurt you! It's just that you know how to push my buttons, that's all!!"  
  
"Mmmmn," Mumbled N'aadija, already beginning to fall asleep in his arms. M'aaranik scooped her up and carried her gently into the ship's sleeping quarters. He set her sleeping form down on the bedding and covered her with a scratchy blanket. For a long time he just stared at her as she slept, mesmerized by her beauty . . .  
  
'Stop it!' M'aaranik thought fiercely at himself. 'You don't want to get emotionally involved with her, regardless of how pretty she might be!'  
  
Still, he couldn't pry his gaze from the beautiful young woman who was sleeping before him. He found himself bent over her, giving her a soft kiss goodnight.  
  
"What have you been up to?" Asked Daa'salar as M'aaranik walked quietly into the cockpit.  
  
"Oh, nothing much. Just finding out that I have feelings for N'aadija," M'aaranik mumbled with a distressed look on his face.  
  
"So, after four years of mating with her you've actually just begun to harbor feelings for her?" Daa'salar said, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smirk.  
  
"Yes, and if you say one word of it to N'aadija I'm going to have to tear your guts out!" M'aaranik laughed, a hint of wickedness in his voice. He obviously wasn't joking about this matter.  
  
"You have nothing to worry about. I've kept dozens of secrets, both yours and N'aadija's. Nobody's going to ever find out," Daa'salar said, his face stony and serious.  
  
Satisfied by his accomplice's statement, M'aaranik turned to the controls. They were just a few standard hours out of their final destination. M'aaranik had waited long enough for this chance, and now he was one step closer to defeating the Narundi Dynasty.  
  
Nothing, not even his newfound love for N'aadija, could be allowed to jeopardize the mission.  
  
*****************  
  
A shadow of pain loomed over Cayaa'lan K'aanar as he drifted back into consciousness. His leg felt as if it were being gnawed off by D'aasnian fire-crae'aans, and he cussed out loud at the young N'aanwarian female who had caused his injury.  
  
"Goddamn darksiders!! You'll pay for that, you little whore!! That's the last time I let people's charms get in the way of my job!! Oh well, at least I know your face, and therefore your reign of terror will be coming to an end!!" Cayaa'lan muttered angrily out loud to himself. He pushed himself off the floor and nearly collapsed from the agony. This was going to be harder than he thought.  
  
"The first order of business is to get my leg fixed," Cayaa'lan pointed out to himself. There was no choice. The investigation would have to be put on hold. Cayaa'lan tapped into the force to relieve the pain, but he couldn't feel much of a difference. He sighed as he realized that this would mean at least two days in a bacta tank; two days that could be spent bringing the three Sith magicians to justice. At least his job in the heart of nowhere was finally over. Even through all of the pain, Cayaa'lan was able to smile at the thought of being reunited with his wife and daughter. He dragged himself over to the comm. unit and sent a transmission to the Royal Fleet.  
  
"Narundi Fleet, come in! This is Lieutenant K'aanar communicating from an unknown vessel!"  
  
"I read you Lieutenant. Why have you deserted your command?"  
  
"The Sith terrorists took over our ship!! I presume I'm the only survivor," Cayaa'lan croaked.  
  
"Are you currently aboard their ship, Lieutenant?"  
  
"Yes, I am, and from the looks of it we're dealing with a very militant bunch!!" Cayaa'lan muttered as he looked around the main quarters at all of the illegal weaponry strewn about.  
  
"Well, take a look around and see what you can drudge up on them. We need all the help we can get!"  
  
"Uh, there's one small problem. My leg's in bad shape. Bad fracture. I'm going to need some immediate medical attention," Cayaa'lan said, wincing as he shifted his weight in the chair.  
  
"Well, hang on there K'aanar. We'll send out an emergency crew ASAP, and don't worry about the terrorists. We'll track their vessel and follow them to wherever their destination may be."  
  
"Good. Whatever you do, don't let them know we're coming. They're hard enough to deal with when you take them by surprise!"  
  
"Well, it looks like this is jedi business now. I think we're best staying out of it."  
  
"No can do. I already have a vendetta against one of them, and I could help identify her. It would help lead the jedi to her, but not if I get there first!" Cayaa'lan hissed.  
  
"Well, it doesn't look as if you'll be on the case in the next couple of days, Lieutenant. My advice to you is to calm down and just go home. It'll still be here when you come back. I've already sent out the medical team. They should be arriving shortly."  
  
"Thank you," Cayaa'lan muttered, but he couldn't just relax. It wasn't that easy. He wasn't going to allow the dark jedi to get away with such murder, not on his time. His father had always told him that revenge was not the kind of motive a jedi should have behind his actions, but he couldn't help being angry. He wasn't a quite a jedi yet, and there was plenty of room for excuses. He was one of His Majesty's best soldiers, and he was going to personally make their lives a living hell. 


	19. K'aashi's Lucky Day

Chapter Nineteen  
  
"You've got to be joking!!" S'aalia snorted and then began to close the door. K'aashi reached out with his foot to prevent the door from shutting.  
  
"I'm not. Come on, S'aalia!! Quit being a snob and hear us out!!" K'aashi begged.  
  
"Us?" S'aalia asked, openly confused. She peered out from behind the door at Noaa'lan and J'aa'nalia who looked at her with hopeful eyes.  
  
"Come in," She sighed, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Thank you ice princess!" K'aashi muttered under his breath as he walked in the door. Noaa'lan looked back at him, shooting him a dirty look.  
  
"So . . ." S'aalia said as she sat down on the edge of her bed. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"We need your help with something," Noaa'lan explained.  
  
"As long as it has nothing to do with K'aashi!!" S'aalia said with a bright smile. K'aashi glared and then turned his back to her.  
  
"No, it doesn't. You see, we're trying to find out what happened between the King and my father," J'aa'nalia said.  
  
"Why me?" S'aalia said in confusion. "How can I help you find information on something I haven't even heard about until now??"  
  
"We believe that Professor S'aahai was a friend of both of them and might know something about that night," K'aashi said, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared up at the ceiling.  
  
"Oh, I get it!! So now you want me to interrogate my uncle for you guys, am I right??"  
  
"Yeah, if you could, that'd be great!!" Noaa'lan said, grinning widely.  
  
S'aalia chuckled to herself and shook her head.  
  
"Man, I wasn't going to help any of you until you said that! You're just so naive, all of you!! However, since you're SO naive, Noaa'lan, I think I have no choice but to help you!!" S'aalia laughed. "In case you didn't notice, I was being sarcastic!!"  
  
"Oh, I noticed it!!" K'aashi piped up from the corner of the room.  
  
"I'm glad!" S'aalia said in an angry tone.  
  
"Witch!!"  
  
"Creep!!"  
  
"Guys, you're not helping anything by bickering!! Would you just shut up so we can plan what we're going to do??" Noaa'lan said, raising his voice.  
  
Both K'aashi and S'aalia gave each other one last glare and then turned to face Noaa'lan with false smiles on their faces.  
  
"S'aalia, when's the next time you're going to be seeing your uncle??"  
  
"In class tomorrow," S'aalia answered.  
  
"Besides that. I don't think you'd want to disturb him when he's in his element, squashing the brains of poor innocent children with his literary essays!" K'aashi exclaimed with a grin.  
  
"Now don't make me shove this sock in your mouth, K'aashi! Just because you don't have a good relationship with him doesn't give you the right to say whatever you want when I'm around!" S'aalia hissed, threatening him with her dirty laundry. "I think K'aashi should leave! He's not helping anything."  
  
"Are you sure you're not Noaa'lan's long lost sister, PRINCESS?!" K'aashi growled in annoyance. "I was part of this investigation long before we got your prissy little self involved!"  
  
"Come on, you two. Just TRY to get along during this, will you? I promise it won't take very long, and then you can go about your separate ways and never speak to each other again!" Noaa'lan said, pleading with them.  
  
S'aalia looked at K'aashi with disdain as he frowned at her. Then, he reluctantly extended his hand to her. After looking at it like it might contain poison, S'aalia reached out to shake his hand limply.  
  
"There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" K'aashi said, smirking at her.  
  
"Watch it, K'aashi. You say one thing to me and you can consider our agreement null and void," S'aalia said, her eyes narrowing in warning.  
  
"The same thing goes for you," K'aashi said sternly, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Anyway, when else are you going to be seeing your uncle?" J'aa'nalia asked, raising her voice to be heard.  
  
"Two days from now, at the Festival of M'taknai. We always have a big feast to celebrate. My uncle is always smoking kra'aantas and drinking Meluvian brandy with the rest of my male relatives, but perhaps I could distract him long enough to answer some questions. The real question is 'What am I going to get for helping you people?'" S'aalia said with a smile.  
  
"Gods! I knew you weren't the kind of girl just to do it out of the kindness of your blackened heart!" K'aashi exclaimed in aggravation.  
  
"Oh, and I guess I'm supposed to think that's your only motive? Kindness? Tell me K'aashi. Who suggested you get me to help you guys?"  
  
"Believe me, it was Noaa'lan, RIGHT BUDDY!?" K'aashi said tensely, giving his friend a withering glare.  
  
"I was the one who suggested we obtain your help. K'aashi tried to convince me otherwise, but I told him he didn't have to talk to you," Noaa'lan said evenly.  
  
"Hah, so much for that, eh K'aashi?" S'aalia said, giving him a sardonic nudge.  
  
"Don't touch me!" K'aashi snapped back. "I really want to get through this without having to deal with you! Is that too much to ask?"  
  
"Well, now that I know it annoys you, I'll have to keep on doing it, won't I?" S'aalia said smugly.  
  
"That's it! I'm out of here! Tell me when you're actually ready to do some detective work, and I'll be there, but I'm NOT going to stand here while princess takes shots at my character!" K'aashi yelled, and stormed out.  
  
"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now," Noaa'lan said with a shrug. "Just try to talk to your uncle. If you can't get anything out of him then I guess we don't need your help anymore, which will please K'aashi to no end."  
  
"Oh, don't worry about me dropping out now. I'm on this case until the end, and as for my payment . . . well, I think I just figured out what that is." S'aalia said slyly.  
  
"I hope you don't mean you're just in this to torment K'aashi," Noaa'lan said with a wry smile on his face.  
  
"Don't worry. You'll still be getting what you want. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take a shower," S'aalia said, ushering them to the door. She quickly shut it behind them.  
  
"Well. . ." Noaa'lan said, clearing his throat. "I'd say that went well, wouldn't you?"  
  
"I don't know. When she was arguing with K'aashi I sensed a lot of anger, but under it I sensed something else . . ." J'aa'nalia said softly.  
  
"Pain. I kind of got the feeling she's been hurt before, and something about K'aashi just sets her off," Noaa'lan said with a nod.  
  
"Hmmm, maybe she's attracted to him," J'aa'nalia suggested.  
  
"Ha, if she does then she has a strange way of showing it! It is funny how she treated him civilly until the night of the dance. Perhaps she got wind of his reputation."  
  
"What is his reputation?" J'aa'nalia asked, eager to find out.  
  
"Oh, K'aashi is only the biggest player ever to attend Narundi Academy!" Noaa'lan grinned.  
  
"Not true! My father claims that title! It's one of the few things he's told me about his high school days," J'aa'nalia said with a laugh.  
  
"Interesting. I never would have thought of your father as a flirtatious kind of guy!"  
  
"Well, people change a lot. It's just what happens when you get older." J'aa'nalia muttered. "I'm sure my father would never look at another woman now that my mother's dead."  
  
"Well, if you died neither would I, J'aa'nie," Noaa'lan said, clasping her hands in his.  
  
"You say that now, but I'm certain your father wouldn't allow you to remain unmarried. You'd find someone else and learn to love her," J'aa'nalia said sadly, averting her gaze.  
  
"I don't believe that to be true," Noaa'lan said with conviction. "I'll just have to take good care of you then, J'aa'nie!" He smiled, pulling her into a warm embrace. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest and he leaned down to kiss her soft lips. Her desire for him burned deep inside of her and inside himself the desire was no less. She let out a gasp as their lips parted and stared into his eyes.  
  
"I believe you," She whispered.  
  
Noaa'lan didn't say a word. Instead he quietly took her by the hand and led her down the cobblestone path to her dorm. In their silence there was agreement. In their agreement they vowed never to part. 


	20. N'aadija's Two Loves, and Fun With Bacta

Chapter Twenty  
  
Bright colors danced in front of N'aadija's eyes, swirling around chaotically and then lifting in time to the music. N'aadija stepped forward through the stone archway into a grand chamber filled with a multitude of different creatures, all dressed in their finest garments.  
  
She stood at the doorway for a second pondering where she was, but then she concluded that the entire event had the stench of royalty.  
  
That could only mean one thing: Narundis.  
  
N'aadija walked slowly into the enormous room, a mischievous smile crossing her lips. She grabbed a hold of the skirt of her lavender ball gown and tried her best to mimic the movements of the dancers, failing miserably. Somehow, nobody in the room seemed to notice her lack of skill.  
  
"This has got to be a dream!" N'aadija realized, her indigo eyes sparkling with pure enjoyment. She continued to spin around, stepping in time to the music, and gradually she caught on to the dance. Many handsome men stepped forward to touch her hand and join her in a dance, but N'aadija couldn't help feeling that she was being pulled closer to something in the room . . . or someone.  
  
Through the cluster of bodies she caught a glimpse of him. His handsome face and dark features drew her ever closer to him as the music continued. His bright blue eyes met hers and flashed in immediate recognition, drawing a smile from her lips. He pushed the silver cape he was wearing over his shoulder and excused himself from his current conversation. N'aadija approached the young man with a small smile on her face, which he returned knowingly. The two came together, their palms touching, their eyes staring deep into each other's souls. The dark-haired man slowly drew her closer until their noses were almost touching. He smiled as he led her into a slower version of the dance that bustled around them. He slid an arm around her waist to support her and then dipped her gently. N'aadija shivered with emotion as he pulled her back up against his broad chest. She knew what was happening but she couldn't bring it upon herself to resist this attractive stranger. Their bodies were entwined in an age-old mating dance and she wanted nothing more than to kiss his full lips. His playful blue eyes observed her closely from underneath shaggy black bangs and he gave her a roguish smile. N'aadija slid her hands around his neck to play with his silky, dark hair and then surprised him by pulling him into a kiss.  
  
'That'll shut him up,' N'aadija thought to herself, smiling inside as she tasted his lips. After a while the young man grew tired of this and pulled away, but not before he pulled her closer in approval. Now he just held her to him, staring at her with wonder and curiosity.  
  
What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a woman before? N'aadija thought at him.  
  
Never one that looked as beautiful as you, He answered.  
  
Who are you? N'aadija asked him.  
  
The young man just smiled and kissed her playfully on the forehead.  
  
Where are we? She asked him.  
  
Do you even have to ask? He replied.  
  
N'aadija was about to answer him when the song ended. She glanced quickly at her surroundings, knowing that there was no other place in the universe that would exhibit such rampant gaudiness than the Narundi Royal Palace. She turned to tell the stranger that but he had disappeared somewhere into the crowd. N'aadija looked frantically around her, suddenly feeling so alone in the mass of people. The bright colors enveloped her once again, swirling and flashing before her eyes. Her soul searched among them for the bright blue of the young man's eyes.  
  
"Mmmm," N'aadija mumbled to herself in her sleep as she woke. "Who are you? Where are you?"  
  
She mumbled for another few seconds and then her eyes fluttered open. She smiled, feeling his arm around her waist as she lay in bed. N'aadija turned over eagerly, wanting desperately to kiss him. Shock filled her to the point where she almost let out a sound when she saw that is wasn't the strange man but M'aaranik who shared her bed. N'aadija propped herself up on her pillow and sighed in disappointment that is wasn't who she thought it was. She stared at M'aaranik as he slept, watching the slow, rhythmic rising and falling of his muscular chest. She looked at his handsome face, his lips slightly parted, his soft eyelids concealing emerald green eyes. He looked so innocent and childish lying there with his long eyelashes and placid expression.  
  
'Looks can be quite deceiving,' Thought N'aadija with a smile. She reached out to stroke his sandy brown hair, wishing for him to wake. M'aaranik's eyes opened slowly, focusing on N'aadija's form above him. Her soft blue hair hung lazily around her face and she looked just as beautiful as ever. He yawned sleepily and stretched, smiling up at her.  
  
"M'aaranik?"  
  
"What is it, my love?" M'aaranik purred contentedly.  
  
"What in the ten N'aanwarian hells are you doing in my bed? You're obviously not making a pass at me!" N'aadija snapped.  
  
"Well, I just thought . . . I just thought it would be more practical since there are so few comfortable places to sleep on this hunk of junk! Plus, who said I wasn't going to make a pass at you?" M'aaranik said with a crafty smile on his face as he slid his hands against her bare skin. After a slight moment of shock N'aadija succumbed to his caresses, allowing him to explore her body as she leaned in to kiss him vehemently. As his hands made her shudder with pleasure she forgot all about the strange man in her dream.  
  
The sticky, red, gel-like substance irritated Cayaa'lan as it bubbled around his broken leg. He'd grown tired of having his lower extremities dipped in a tub of bacta and was anxious to get out of it. He was never one to want to sit still when so much was happening.  
  
Two hours earlier a sketch artist from the N'aanwarian police came in to get the description of the female Cayaa'lan had seen on the ship. The entire medical wing of the military base was chattering with new information and clues about the three dark jedi and their ship. Cayaa'lan lifted his head up as he felt an overbearing presence walking toward him.  
  
"General Draa'k, what brings you here?" Cayaa'lan said with mock surprise. He should have known the General wouldn't let him live this one down.  
  
"Dispense with the pleasantries K'aanar, because I know you're full of R'aatu dung!" The General stated, eyeing Cayaa'lan's wounded leg. "I'm surprised that your sorry jedi hide wasn't gutted out there!"  
  
"I have my ways," Cayaa'lan said, giving General Draa'k a scorching glare. "Did you just come here to harass me, General, or is there some purpose to your visit?"  
  
"Well, I do happen to have business to discuss with you, and I'd appreciate it if you DIDN'T roll your eyes at me this time!" The General barked.  
  
"Fine," Cayaa'lan replied, his eyes straining against his will for them to remain stationary in their sockets.  
  
"Now, I have something to show you," General Draa'k said, producing a magazine from his chest pocket. "Is this the girl that you saw on the ship?"  
  
Cayaa'lan stared for a second at the glamour shot of a young N'aanwarian female with indigo hair and full lips. It was definitely the same woman.  
  
"Yeah, that's her. Not too many people resemble her, and that's her all right," Cayaa'lan said with a nod.  
  
"I bet you're interested in hearing what happened to this model," The General suggested.  
  
"Not really, but since I have no way of shutting you up, I'll listen."  
  
"That's a good boy! Her name's N'aadija. She was once an up-and-coming star in the fashion world, but then her name became associated with a bizarre murder case. By some fault in the justice system she became the prime suspect, even though there was no hard evidence against her. A combination of her attorney being a complete idiot and the prosecuting attorney being none other than Haa'lei Fraa'nai led to her exile from N'aanwaria. I presume that afterwards she became involved with the wrong crowd and that's where she is today." The General droned.  
  
"Man, that's some pretty bad luck, having to go against Fraa'nai! I'd be scared to death!" Cayaa'lan exclaimed.  
  
"I bet you would. As much as I hate to admit it, K'aanar, you did a good job of identifying one of the suspects. Now all we have to do is wait for her to rear her pretty little head and we're bound to find her two accomplices not far behind!"  
  
"I know we have the strongest military in the galaxy, but don't you think this is a job for the jedi and not for us?" Cayaa'lan protested.  
  
"Well, I was getting to that. I've appointed you, Jedi K'aanar, as head detective in this case. I'm sure you won't disappoint me like you did this time by letting them get away again!" General Draa'k said forcefully.  
  
"Even though I'm only HALF a jedi I'm willing to accept your offer. Nobody pulls a fast one on Cayaa'lan K'aanar and gets away with it," Cayaa'lan said firmly.  
  
"Good, because I didn't offer the job, I ordered you to take it! It's a good thing that your insubordination never gets you into trouble, or else you'd have been out of here in the amount of time it takes Bessla to rotate on its axis!" The General said, and then he turned on his heels and walked out of the room. Cayaa'lan gave him a lopsided grin and a salute to his back as he walked away.  
  
"You really should learn to treat him with more respect," A quiet voice stated.  
  
"I try Geriana, but he's got such an abrasive personality! I can't wait until my retirement, when they slap a gold blaster in my hand and give me severance pay! It'll all be worth it to get away from him!" Cayaa'lan growled.  
  
"Well, you've got another thirty years, love. I think that in the meantime you should put forth an effort to tolerate the general," She said with a smile as she brushed his hair out of his eyes. "I was worried when I heard about your injury. So was Kai'laea. She misses her daddy."  
  
"Tell her that daddy's coming home in a few hours. My leg is almost healed. I've been in these things enough times to know when the bacta has finished its job."  
  
"I heard the General assign you to a new mission. How soon will you be leaving on that?" Geriana asked earnestly.  
  
"In a few days. Meanwhile, I'm going to make the most of the time that I have with you and Kai'laea! God I missed you, Geriana!"  
  
Cayaa'lan gushed, pulling his wife into his arms and kissing her.  
  
"I wish that you didn't have to go . . ." Geriana whispered wistfully.  
  
"So do I . . ." Cayaa'lan muttered. "So do I. 


	21. I Saw Her

Chapter Twenty-one  
  
"I saw her," Kahl'aan whispered to his brother from across the table.  
  
"Saw who?" Asked Noaa'lan as he reached for another biscuit.  
  
"That girl," Kahl'aan said, swallowing a mouthful.  
  
"What girl?" Noaa'lan asked, rolling his eyes.  
  
"The one in your dream!" Kahl'aan hissed.  
  
"Oh! Okay. So, where did you see her?" Noaa'lan asked with interest.  
  
"I didn't actually see her, I dreamed about her, stupid!" Exclaimed Kahl'aan. "I was at this dance, and she just appeared out of nowhere and came up to me! This is all your fault, Noaa'lan!"  
  
"How is it my fault?"  
  
"You were the one who dreamed her up!" Kahl'aan growled, a little too loudly.  
  
"So, if Noaa'lan's scantily-clad woman appears in your dream, it's his fault?" Cel'aanaeus asked with a chuckle.  
  
"Precisely! I never would have dreamt about her if not for Noaa'lan's description of her!" Kahl'aan said, pointing a utensil at Noaa'lan.  
  
"Maybe Noaa'lan's dream is a prediction of things to come and you just saw it later than he did. Your brother certainly does have a talent for clairvoyance," Bel'aanaea commented.  
  
"I sure hope not!" Kahl'aan said adamantly.  
  
"Why is that? Did you do anything with her that you regret?" Noaa'lan asked with a wide grin on his face.  
  
"Shut up!" Kahl'aan yelled, giving his brother a malicious glare.  
  
"Noaa'lan, how many times do I have to warn you not to harass your brother at the table? I am not going to allow you boys to start another fight at mealtime! For once can we just eat in peace?" Cel'aanaeus said firmly, pointing a finger at his son.  
  
"Yes father," Noaa'lan muttered, giving his brother the evil eye when Cel'aanaeus looked down at his plate again.  
  
"Yes father," Kahl'aan said, mock-sweetly, sticking his tongue out at Noaa'lan.  
  
"Enough!" Cel'aanaeus said in a booming tone that made both boys flinch momentarily. It was never a good thing when their father raised his voice at them. Noaa'lan saw his brother swallow hard and turn back to concentrate intently on his food. He took one look at his father's icy stare and proceeded to do the same. His mind wandered off to pleasant thoughts of J'aa'nalia and the two of them together and he smiled to himself as he ate.  
  
A sharp beeping sound cut through the quiet dining hall, prompting Noaa'lan to jump up from his seat and head toward the kitchen.  
  
"For El'aanus' sake, Noaa'lan, ignore the damn Comm. for once during breakfast!" Cel'aanaeus snapped.  
  
"But, it could be important father, and-"  
  
"No Buts! We're going to sit down and have a nice meal as a family! It'd be a shame if I didn't teach you boys some manners before you become men! We don't interrupt meals for Comm. transmissions!"  
  
"Maybe it's his GIRLFRIEND calling to tell him to 'meet her somewhere private'!" Kahl'aan suggested in an all-too-pleased-with-himself tone.  
  
"Why you little D'aarat! You'll pay for that!" Noaa'lan said while lunging at Kahl'aan, who had slipped skillfully from his grasp.  
  
"Noaa'lan! Watch your language!" Cried Bel'aanaea in disgust, but the two boys had already run from the room.  
  
"So much for a nice family meal," Cel'aanaeus said with a sigh, shaking his head.  
  
"Well, look on the bright side," Bel'aanaea said softly as she squeezed her husband's shoulder. "At least things are now quiet in here."  
  
"Ah yes. It's a very rare occasion that anything around here can be described as 'quiet', isn't it?" Cel'aanaeus asked.  
  
Bel'aanaea nodded her head in agreement and the two continued to eat breakfast in silence.  
  
Noaa'lan quickly tired of chasing his brother through the corridors of the palace. Kahl'aan was quite illusive when he wanted to be. After deciding that this was a losing battle, Noaa'lan hurried into the kitchen to receive the Comm. message. His brother was already there waiting for him.  
  
"Get out of here, Kahl'aan! Can't you ever respect my privacy?" Noaa'lan snapped as he pushed the button beneath the flashing transmission signal.  
  
"Not on your life! It's my duty to annoy you, remember?" Kahl'aan said with a sneer.  
  
"Therefore it must be my duty to beat you up, am I right?" Noaa'lan said, flashing a clenched fist at his brother.  
  
"Oh, allow me to join in on the fun, Noaa'lan!" K'aashi's image said from the Comm. screen.  
  
"Believe me, he deserves it today," Noaa'lan told his best friend while throwing a warning look at Kahl'aan. Kahl'aan flashed Noaa'lan a grin and crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest.  
  
"So, what did you call me about, K'aashi?" Noaa'lan asked.  
  
"Well, I forgot the homework for S'aahai's class, and I need you to give it to me," K'aashi said sheepishly.  
  
"Man, you're darn BORING to talk to, K'aashi! I guess I'll stop bugging you now, Noaa'lan," Kahl'aan said as he walked out of the room.  
  
"Now for what I really have to talk to you about," K'aashi began in a whisper. "You know how S'aalia was talking about seeing her uncle at the festival of M'taknai?"  
  
"Yeah, I remember that. Our family is holding another formal celebration for the festival, and I don't doubt that's where S'aahai will be," Noaa'lan said thoughtfully.  
  
"Yeah, well I think you and I have to go to that, just to make sure that S'aalia doesn't skip out on us," K'aashi insisted. "I don't trust her to do the right thing, Noaa'lan."  
  
"You just don't like her. I don't think I'm the one she has a grudge against, and since I asked her to question her uncle for me, I think she'll do what I asked her to do. Plus, she's being paid, remember? She's getting a chance to annoy you!" Noaa'lan chuckled.  
  
"I'm glad that you find my misfortune so amusing, Noaa'lan," K'aashi said with a glare. "Seriously, I don't trust the girl. I'd feel better if we went to the ball or whatever you elite people call it."  
  
"Well, it's more of a diplomatic ball. I, of course, will have to be there. If you insist on being there, I guess I have no choice but to invite you. We'll just have to work on you manners."  
  
"What's wrong with my manners?" K'aashi asked indignantly.  
  
"K'aashi, you're a peasant! You just haven't been taught how to act in the presence of royalty and powerful diplomats in a formal setting, that's all!" Noaa'lan insisted.  
  
"Oh, so now I'm a peasant? I'll choose to ignore that last comment Noaa'lan, since I think it's the first time you've called me that in all the years we've been friends," K'aashi said.  
  
"Don't take that as an insult, because I didn't mean it that way!" Noaa'lan exclaimed. "You just need to learn the formal stuff, or else you'll surely stand out."  
  
"All right. It's a deal, just as long as I get to come along and spy on S'aalia," K'aashi said.  
  
"K'aashi, you're turning into quite a stalker!"  
  
"Thanks buddy. I'll let you get back to your breakfast now. I hope everything works out with this!" K'aashi said.  
  
"I hope so too, K'aashi. We really need to get to the bottom of this mystery," Noaa'lan said. "I'll see you later in school."  
  
"Yeah, I can hardly wait to go there!" K'aashi said, rolling his eyes and grinning. "See ya' later, Noaa'lan." Noaa'lan switched off the Comm. and sighed to himself. K'aashi's manners were rough at best. This was going to take some work, and he only had a day left.  
  
"I enjoyed the part where you called K'aashi a stalker," Said a voice from the doorway that made Noaa'lan jump. Kahl'aan stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, a big grin on his face.  
  
"Who said you could listen in on my conversations?" Noaa'lan said with an annoyed look on his face.  
  
"You should have checked to see if I'd left," Kahl'aan said nonchalantly. "It's your own fault for not paying more attention. Anyways, why do you have any interest in what Professor S'aahai has to say? I thought you hated his guts!"  
  
"That's none of your business, Kahl'aan!" Noaa'lan warned.  
  
"All right, that's fine. I'll just have to tell mother and father what little plots you've hatched and see what they have to say about this. I'm sure father would have some theories about why you're snooping around in other people's business!" Kahl'aan said gleefully.  
  
"The only person snooping around in other people's business is YOU, Kahl'aan, and if you don't leave this room in the next instant I'm going to take a lightsaber to your entire holodisc collection!" Noaa'lan said, raising his voice.  
  
"All right! Both of you boys get back in here and finish breakfast this instant!!" Yelled their father from the other room.  
  
"Yes father," Noaa'lan called, and after giving his brother one last dirty look he walked back into the dining hall.  
  
'I don't care what it takes, Noaa'lan. I'm going to find out what it is that you're hiding from me,' Kahl'aan thought with a smirk as he followed his brother back to the table where their parents waited with angry expressions on their faces. The two brothers slinked sheepishly into their chairs, waiting for the lecture that was sure to follow. 


	22. Ambush

1 Chapter Twenty-two  
  
M'aaranik breathed in deeply and let out a sigh.  
  
"I love the smell of N'aanwaria in the morning, don't you?" He asked, grinning evilly. N'aadija just crossed her arms and pretended not to notice.  
  
"Do you mean that manure field that we just touched down in? I'd say that was the prevailing smell in this area, M'aaranik!" N'aadija said sardonically.  
  
"That's just part of my plan, you stupid little twit! Who would dare come into a place this offensive to the delicate N'aanwarian nasal receptors just to find us?"  
  
"Speaking of that, I think my nasal receptors are signaling my digestive tract to go into reverse! What were you thinking?" N'aadija yelled, smacking him across the back of his head with one of her gloves.  
  
"I wouldn't try that again, unless you want to go for a swim," M'aaranik said, motioning to the mucky ground with his hand. N'aadija rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.  
  
"So, what's next on the agenda for this morning, O' Fearless leader?" She asked with amusement.  
  
"I'm glad you asked, N'aadija," M'aaranik announced. "First thing's first. We have to burn this ship. It's the Narundi Fleet's only possible connection to us, if they find it!"  
  
N'aadija felt a twinge through the force as she pondered his statement. Something about it struck her as seriously incorrect, and that thought drove fear into her heart.  
  
"We can't be too certain about that, M'aaranik," N'aadija muttered in a grave tone.  
  
"Why not? We slaughtered everyone on this ship! There are still no eyewitnesses to our murderous rampage!"  
  
"Mmm, you put that so eloquently. Murderous rampage," N'aadija said, letting the words roll off her tongue.  
  
"It's a beautiful thing," M'aaranik agreed.  
  
'I was being sarcastic,' N'aadija thought. "Still, this ship is our only sure way out of here if they do recognize us. Don't be so impulsive, M'aaranik. You know what they say about burning starships!"  
  
"N'aadija, that's a metaphor that refers to social situations! They meant it figuratively, not literally!"  
  
"Still, we'd be better off hiding it instead of burning it," N'aadija insisted.  
  
M'aaranik pulled out a thermal detonator and chucked it back at the ship. All three of them dove to the ground as the ship blew into a million atoms. N'aadija peeled herself out of the slop after the explosion had died down, in awe of how contained the blast had been.  
  
"I disagree, my dear," M'aaranik said softly.  
  
"What the hell was that, M'aaranik? Was that some new kind of thermal detonator?!" N'aadija asked in shock.  
  
"I just adjusted the controls on the current ones. They were set to 'crap field'," M'aaranik said with a grin.  
  
"Well, lets see if you can use that brilliant mind of yours to scare me up some CLEAN CLOTHES, you jerk!" N'aadija hissed angrily, throwing a handful of sewage at him.  
  
"We've got bigger problems, you two! Manure's on fire!" Daa'salar said urgently, motioning for them to run. The three terrorists sloshed and slid through the field at full speed, trying desperately to escape the wall of fire that was quickly approaching. They ducked behind a stone wall as the wave of flame washed over them, tapping into the force to create a bubble of protection around them.  
  
"Well, that certainly was fun, wasn't it?" M'aaranik said with a shrug as he got up and walked through the flames. N'aadija and Daa'salar got up and followed him through the fire to the edge of it.  
  
"There still is the problem of me having no clothes to wear, M'aaranik!" N'aadija said crossly.  
  
"I understand that N'aadija, and if you'll hold on for just a second, we'll go shopping! First, we need to get cleaned off, or else people will get suspicious when they see three manure creatures walk into a boutique!" M'aaranik growled, impatient with N'aadija's constant whining.  
  
"That farm house looks like a good place," Daa'salar suggested. "We'll clean up under that sprinkler."  
  
"Good thinking, Daa'salar," M'aaranik said, patting him on the back. "You always were my number one man!"  
  
"He's your only man, stupid!" N'aadija said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Yes, it's an unfortunate thing for sure," M'aaranik said, narrowing his eyes at her and then ducking as she spat at him.  
  
"You spat at me!! You disgusting little whore! Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's not nice to spit at people?" M'aaranik growled.  
  
"My mother would be proud of me for spitting at you!" N'aadija said with a laugh as she stole the nozzle away from him.  
  
"Guys, maybe if we all had a time share on the sprinkler then we'd all get along better," Daa'salar muttered.  
  
"Me, get along with him? You've got to be kidding!" N'aadija cried as she let the water run down her face and chest.  
  
"You seemed to get along with me quite well this morning, my sexy little kitten," M'aaranik said seductively.  
  
"On second thought, maybe you should be the one having this cold shower, M'aaranik! It might take your mind off of sex for a little while!"  
  
"That's an impossibility, although I appreciate the offer," He said with a sly smile. Muck streamed from his hair in rivulets, and he seemed quite satisfied with himself. He knew just how to manipulate N'aadija, and that would prove quite useful in the future.  
  
"So, what do you think we're going to do once we get this crap off of us? Are we going to walk into a department store soaking wet and demand new clothing?" N'aadija asked with her hands on her hips.  
  
"No, my dear. We are going to ask those people up in that farmhouse for some dry clothes. They'd be wise not to resist," M'aaranik said while spraying off his pants and boots.  
  
"Oh, and if they do, I suppose you're going to kill them, am I guessing correctly?" N'aadija asked with a sardonic smile.  
  
"You know me well, don't you N'aadija? However, you're a little bit off the mark. I'm not going to kill them. WE'RE going to kill them," M'aaranik said, gesturing around in a circle to the three of them.  
  
"Why am I not terribly surprised? You never could keep your blaster from going off for long," N'aadija said, smiling sweetly at him.  
  
"In more ways than one," M'aaranik said, smiling back at her as he handed her the nozzle.  
  
"I'd be surprised if anyone was home. I mean, their entire field of crops is one fire! Don't you think they would have noticed and come outside by now?"  
  
"Indeed. Either they're gone, or we're. . . about to be ambushed! GET DOWN!" M'aaranik yelled at the top of his lungs as a couple of shots rang out. He pushed N'aadija down to the ground and then reached for his lightsaber to block the blaster bolts.  
  
"What the hell are you doing pushing ME down, M'aaranik?" N'aadija cried in outrage as she stood back up. "Don't try to throw your weight around with m- -," Her words were cut short by her scream as a bolt passed though her abdomen. She dropped like a rock to the ground from the pain.  
  
"N'aadija!" M'aaranik cried in shock as he rushed to her side. She looked up at him with tormented eyes as waves of agony washed over her, overpowering her.  
  
"By. . .El'aanus' name, M'aaranik. . .I'll be damned if I'm. . .gonna' die here, in this. . .crap field!" N'aadija said in between gasps.  
  
"You're going to be just fine, N'aadija," M'aaranik said frantically, trying more to convince himself than to convince her. "We just have to get you out of here, that's all!"  
  
Suddenly the shooting stopped. Daa'salar gave a triumphant grunt and then came over to tend to N'aadija.  
  
"I got him back with his own blaster fire, boss. He's either dead or wishing he was right about now," Daa'salar barked as he knelt down next to N'aadija.  
  
"Not soon enough. . ." M'aaranik said feebly, in a daze.  
  
"Lets get her into the house and get that wound dressed," Daa'salar said, clapping his friend on the shoulder.  
  
"I should have listened. . .to you. I should have listened. . ." N'aadija moaned deliriously.  
  
"Since when did you ever listen to me, N'aadija?" M'aaranik scolded, laughing bitterly.  
  
"I'm going to be all right. . .it didn't hit any. . .vital organs," She whispered.  
  
"Still, you're in shock, and that's just as serious as any wound you could get. We're going to move you now, N'aadija. On the count of three . . . one, two, three!" M'aaranik ordered as the two men lifted her up off the ground. N'aadija winced from the movement and she bit her lip, trying not to scream as they carried her up into the abandoned farmhouse.  
  
"Put her up on that table, Daa'salar. I'll get her some blankets," M'aaranik said gravely, an obvious slump to his shoulders. "We need to get her stabilized as quickly as possible."  
  
"Mother, what are those strange people doing in our home?" Asked the voice of a young girl.  
  
M'aaranik whipped around with lightning speed to target the young girl and her mother with his blaster. His eyes blazed with fire, not wanting any more distractions to keep him from helping N'aadija.  
  
"Please. . .don't shoot," Pleaded the woman with tears in her eyes. "We'll do anything you ask. Just. . .don't kill us too!"  
  
M'aaranik felt a hand on his arm and jumped. He turned around to look into N'aadija's half open eyes. She shook her head weakly.  
  
"No, not again M'aaranik. Don't do it," She whispered. "Let them help us."  
  
"They've already seen too much, N'aadija. We already killed her husband!" M'aaranik growled impatiently.  
  
"No, YOU killed her husband, or you Daa'salar. I don't know which one! Just STOP KILLING PEOPLE! God, whatever happened to threatening people with death? Now it's just 'bang, you're dead'!" N'aadija said angrily, raising her voice and then cringing as she regretted it later.  
  
"All right. If you help us, we will spare your lives," M'aaranik said seriously. "However, if you tell anyone that you saw us here we will take great pleasure in dispatching you both. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"C-c-crystal clear," The woman said with a nervous nod. "Go and get the medicine chest for the man, Liaa'na!"  
  
The little girl gave her mother one last terrified look and then disappeared into another room. M'aaranik tried his best to soothe N'aadija as Daa'salar kept a careful eye on the woman and what was going on outside the farmhouse.  
  
"Here it is," The little girl said softly as she handed a plasteel box to M'aaranik and then she hurried to hide behind her mother. M'aaranik took out sterile bandages and some antiseptic fluid, and he began to clean out N'aadija's wound.  
  
"Good god, M'aaranik! That stuff burns!" N'aadija cried, wincing as he applied the fluid to her wound.  
  
"It's specially formulated to cauterize the wound as it cleans it, so of course it's going to burn!" M'aaranik said tensely, his brow furrowed with concern. "Whatever it can't heal we can fix with jedi healing techniques. You're going to be fine."  
  
"Thank you," N'aadija whispered, glancing over at the little girl and her mother. The girl peeked one tear-streaked eye out from behind her mother's leg and gazed curiously at N'aadija. She could see what the girl was thinking. How could such a nice young woman be with such mean old men? N'aadija smiled bitterly to herself as she pondered the question.  
  
'I don't know, ask the Narundis,' Thought N'aadija as she dropped into a healing trance. 'They're the reason why I'm here right now. . .'  
  
N'aadija awoke sharply to a loud crash. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Daa'salar tumble to the floor. She immediately snapped to attention, reaching for her lightsaber as she rolled off the table into a fighting stance in one smooth motion. She came face to face with the farmer that Daa'salar had supposedly killed earlier. Blood streamed from a cut on the side of his forehead. It was enough to cause considerable pain, but not to kill.  
  
'Damn you Daa'salar for not doing the job right the first time!,' N'aadija thought in dismay. She swooped her lightsaber in an arch that chopped off the barrel of his blaster. "Try firing with that!"  
  
The color drained from the farmer's face as he realized he was defenseless against her. He put up his hands to shield himself from her attack, and then was surprised when there was none.  
  
"M'aaranik!! Lets get out of here! We've over stayed our welcome," N'aadija yelled at her partner while keeping a close eye on the farmer. M'aaranik picked himself off of the floor, rubbing a bump on the back of his head. He was obviously annoyed from being ambushed yet a second time.  
  
"Grab Daa'salar. We're leaving now," N'aadija commanded.  
  
"Fine, we'll go now!" M'aaranik said with a scowl as he helped Daa'salar to his feet. "As for the three of you, not a word to anyone that you saw us here on your farm, if you value your lives."  
  
The farmer moved closer to his wife and daughter as M'aaranik delivered the final warning and he put a protective arm around both of them. All of this was missed by the three renegade jedi as they hurried off the property toward Freedom City.  
  
"All right, so that was a very bad idea on my part," M'aaranik admitted.  
  
"Just one in a long chain of many bad ideas I might add," N'aadija said with a smirk.  
  
"Shut up, you! I've had enough of your sass! Anyway, I see that we still have the problem of dirty clothes to contend with. I wouldn't want poor N'aadija to have to wear anything but spotless designer clothing for her job as a terrorist," M'aaranik sneered, eliciting a smack on the arm from his female cohort.  
  
"Go ahead and make fun of me, but the fact is that we can't walk around looking like this! We would surely draw attention!" N'aadija snapped.  
  
"Actually N'aadija, you better think of leaving that muck on your face," Daa'salar said uneasily.  
  
"What are you talking about Daa'salar?"  
  
Daa'salar pointed to a Wanted poster on a bulletin board that showed a clear picture of N'aadija from her modeling days.  
  
"Oh f'aalran dung!" She cussed under her breath as she stared at the poster in disbelief. 


	23. The Meeting

Chapter Twenty-three  
  
"So, remember what we talked about, K'aashi?" Noaa'lan asked as he straightened out his friend's formal cape.  
  
"Yeah, always go from the outside in with utensils, don't belch, don't wipe my mouth on my sleeve, elbows off the table, and the napkin goes on my lap, not inside my shirt collar," K'aashi recited. The noise in the banquet hall was escalating around them as people moved chairs and tables in, preparing for the big event. Banners of fuchsia and gold hung from the rafters and traditional festival melodies could be heard echoing throughout the chamber.  
  
"That's good. You're getting the hang of it. Now all you have to do is try not to draw attention to yourself and you've got it," Noaa'lan said, clapping K'aashi on the shoulder. "I know you're capable of doing that, if you really try."  
  
"Thanks buddy," K'aashi said, rolling his eyes. "Do I really draw that much attention to myself?"  
  
"I'm just saying, it would be better if you didn't since I've only had a day to groom you for nobility," Noaa'lan explained.  
  
"All right, I guess I can so I don't embarrass you," K'aashi muttered.  
  
"I'm only doing this because you want to spy on S'aalia, K'aashi! I wouldn't make you come to one of these things otherwise. They're pretty boring if you ask me," Noaa'lan clarified, shouting above the din that filled the hall.  
  
"Whatever. I just can't wait until S'aalia gets what she needs out of her uncle and this entire thing is all over with. I feel like a fool in this outfit! Look at this! You nobles certainly don't know anything about comfort!" K'aashi cried in disgust.  
  
Noaa'lan laughed at his friend's comment. The traditional dress for the festival certainly was gaudy and uncomfortable, not to mention outdated. However, it was tradition, and his father always told him that upholding tradition was the basis for maintaining culture.  
  
"Noaa'lan!" Cel'aanaeus called from the other side of the chamber. Noaa'lan immediately ran over to see his father, leaving K'aashi stranded by the buffet. "Please see that Minister Lei'hai's outer garment is hung in the proper place."  
  
"Right away, father," Noaa'lan said, taking the indigo cape from the Minister of Defense and putting it in the cloak room.  
  
"Ha!" Kahl'aan yelled, jumping out from around the corner. "Did I scare you?"  
  
"No, for the last time, you didn't scare me in the least. I could sense you hiding there," Noaa'lan replied. "What did you do to your hair? It looks good."  
  
"I just put a little styling gel in it," Kahl'aan said nonchalantly.  
  
"Styling gel, huh? You wouldn't be pruning your appearance for a certain mystery woman, now would you?" Noaa'lan said with a grin.  
  
"Her? She doesn't even exist! Unlike you, I don't care about dating or women," Kahl'aan protested.  
  
"Oh yeah, I forgot. Your only true love is your hologaming machine," Noaa'lan said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Oh, speaking of which, I have this new game that I gotta' show you after this dumb festival is over," Kahl'aan muttered.  
  
"Don't let father catch you calling it dumb! He wants us to respect N'aanwarian traditions," Noaa'lan said, elbowing his brother.  
  
"Oh, I respect it, I just think it's dumb. I see K'aashi also agrees with me," Kahl'aan said with a smirk, pointing to K'aashi who was standing awkwardly against a wall on the other side of the ballroom. "Why did you even bring him, Noaa'lan? You knew he'd be uncomfortable. This wouldn't have anything to do with your secret plans that you're not telling father about, now would it?"  
  
"If you don't stop butting into my business, I'm going to record over all of your holodiscs and put S'aahai's boring old N'aanwarian literature history lectures on them!" Noaa'lan hissed. "Now, go help father greet the guests!"  
  
"All right, I'm going!" Kahl'aan groaned as he followed his brother to the great hall's entrance.  
  
"I don't see why I have to attend this Narundi sponsored event, J'aa'nie. You know I can't stand that thieving scoundrel, Cel'aanaeus," R'aa'nlan insisted vehemently.  
  
"That makes two of us," Graa'nak said, looking warily up at the royal palace. His face had a look of disgust on it, and it was obvious to J'aa'nalia that the last thing he wanted to do was venture inside.  
  
"Father, we already went over this. We're attending this festival event to show our appreciation for the Narundis teaching me when you were unable to," J'aa'nalia said, taking hold of her father's arm and ushering him closer to the entrance.  
  
"Ugh, I hope you realize how much this makes my stomach churn. I never thought I'd see the day where I was showing my appreciation to such a vile creature as Cel'aanaeus." R'aa'nlan said as he reluctantly went through the doors to grand ballroom. Graa'nak followed cautiously a few steps behind.  
  
"Welcome to-," Cel'aanaeus said, and then stopped cold in the middle of his sentence. "R'aa'nlan, what a surprise this is!"  
  
"Don't even think of throwing me out, Narundi. I have as much of a right to be here as you. My daughter, much to my dismay, is a student at your academy."  
  
"Yes, of course. Welcome to the Festival of M'taknai celebration. Noaa'lan, please assist Master T'naa'lichi, his nephew and his daughter with their cloaks." Cel'aanaeus said tensely, not knowing if R'aa'nlan was there to pick a fight or not.  
  
"Remember, Narundi. Not a smudge goes on this cloak or else," R'aa'nlan said in a low voice as Noaa'lan took his garment. J'aa'nalia handed Noaa'lan hers and he could feel the electricity as their hands touched. She looked up uneasily at him, secretly wishing for this moment to be over so she could be sure her father wasn't going to make a scene.  
  
"Come, my dear, there is much merriment to be had," Graa'nak stated, offering his arm to J'aa'nalia. She accepted and Graa'nak led her out onto the dance floor.  
  
"Don't just stand there Narundi, get going with those cloaks!" R'aa'nlan hissed. "You should have taught the boy some better manners, Cel'aanaeus!"  
  
"I assure you, he is quite well mannered," Cel'aanaeus said softly as Noaa'lan ran off to the cloak room.  
  
"Hopefully he's got better manners than you ever had, you thieving Ten'aaha!" R'aa'nlan growled. He stuck a finger right in the center of Cel'aanaeus' chest as his temper escalated.  
  
"R'aa'nlan, if you don't mind, I have other guests to attend to," Cel'aanaeus said cautiously, trying not to set R'aa'nlan off. "So, if you'd please go on in and enjoy the festivities."  
  
"Rest assured Narundi, I shall enjoy the festivities about as much as being dipped in a vat of boiling acid. I only came to please my daughter," R'aa'nlan spat as he walked inside. He turned around to point a finger at Cel'aanaeus. "One day, Narundi, you'll get what you've got coming to you. One day, you'll see."  
  
"Was that just R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi I saw, or am I seeing things?" Bel'aanaea asked her husband.  
  
"No, that was R'aa'nlan, holding just as much of a grudge as he ever did," Cel'aanaeus sighed. "Some things never change."  
  
"Noaa'lan, don't look now, but-,"  
  
"I know, I know, Graa'nak is dancing with J'aa'nalia. I saw when they came in," Noaa'lan said gloomily.  
  
"Holy Ten'aaha! R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi is also here? What could have ever possessed them to come to this?" K'aashi exclaimed.  
  
"I don't know, but I'm guessing she's blond, with hazel eyes, very beautiful, and had good intentions by inviting them. However, those good intentions may backfire because I know her father can't be around my father without picking a fight, and the same goes for Graa'nak." Noaa'lan groaned.  
  
"Man, what a night this is going to be," K'aashi said, stuffing his mouth with hors d'oeuvres.  
  
"You said it," Noaa'lan said with a sigh.  
  
"M'aaranik, sometimes I think you can't shock me any more, and then you have to go and prove me wrong!" N'aadija hissed. "We're wanted for crimes against society, and here we are, about to attend one of the largest social gatherings of the year!"  
  
"Don't you see the irony of it all, N'aadija? No one would ever think to look for us here!" M'aaranik said with a smirk.  
  
"You're not the one who has her face plastered all over the skyways of Freedom City!" N'aadija scowled.  
  
"As long as you stick to wearing your mask you'll be fine! There's so much going on here that no one is going to be looking for you. Every man in this room has the primary goal of getting drunk and having a good time," M'aaranik chuckled. "I think we should also get plastered."  
  
"Now hold on! I thought that the reason we were here was to get close to the Narundis!" N'aadija said crossly. "So far someone has been able to identify me perfectly, although I have no idea who that could be because we killed everyone in our way!"  
  
"That's why we need a break from the action. If we keep on inflicting damage on this joke of an empire, someone is bound to trace us. If we lay low, then they'll forget about everything!"  
  
"M'aaranik, you moron, that's some interesting logic! We killed their ambassador! No one is going to stop until we're brought to justice," N'aadija spat.  
  
"I agree with N'aadija on this one. You're a flaming idiot, M'aaranik," Daa'salar muttered.  
  
"How uncharacteristic of you, Daa'salar! Normally it's N'aadija who throws insults in my direction!" M'aaranik said in disbelief.  
  
"That time you really deserved it, boss," Daa'salar said simply.  
  
"Never mind that now! We all should put on our masks, we're getting close to the entrance," M'aaranik said, pulling his ceremonial warrior death mask down over his eyes.  
  
"Amusing, you chose a death mask for this happy occasion. I'm sure that won't attract any attention!" N'aadija scowled.  
  
"I'm sure that once everyone is good and drunk, it will be very funny indeed," M'aaranik chuckled, flashing her a grin.  
  
"Why do I hang out with this guy?" N'aadija muttered to herself as they reached the end of the line.  
  
"Welcome to the Narundi Palace. I hope you all enjoy the festivities tonight," Cel'aanaeus said cheerfully.  
  
"Oh don't worry, we fully intend to, your highness!" M'aaranik exclaimed in an artificial tone. N'aadija gave him a quick elbow and dragged him onto the dance floor.  
  
"You are just too much!" N'aadija scolded. "Everyone here is very suspicious that we'll make an appearance here, and you just act like nothing is wrong!"  
  
"Relax! We just need to blend in!" M'aaranik said, picking her up and sweeping her around in a circle. "Care to dance?"  
  
"Do I have much of a choice?" N'aadija said, stepping in time to the complex rhythm.  
  
The entire ballroom spun around N'aadija, full of vibrant colors as in her dream. Her own movements came at a brisk pace as M'aaranik led her through the complicated dance. She wondered to herself how a man like M'aaranik could have ever learned such a dance. N'aadija was about to ask him when she saw a hauntingly familiar face out of the corner of her eye.  
  
'What the Sith is he doing here? Tell me I'm not dreaming again!' Thought N'aadija. Through the winding maze of people, she caught a glimpse of the dark and mysterious man from her dreams. He hadn't seen her and was chatting with a group of teenagers, but N'aadija could tell it was he from his piercing blue eyes.  
  
'He sure is a lot younger than he was in the dream,' N'aadija thought to herself with a smirk. 'Oh well, why not go up and tempt fate.'  
  
She quickly broke free from the arms of a puzzled M'aaranik and waltzed quickly over to where the young man was standing. She reached out and tapped him on the shoulder, giving him her best seductive smile.  
  
His reaction couldn't have been more amusing, at least according to N'aadija. His eyes just about bugged out of his head when he saw her and he jumped back, slipping on a wet spot on the floor. His arms flailed about helplessly as he fell, hitting the ground with a loud thud.  
  
"Owwwwww! My butt!" He cried, but then quickly recovered. "Holy Ten'aaha! You're that chick from my dreams! Is this some kind of sick joke? Did Noaa'lan hire you or something to get back at me for all those times I've tattled on him?"  
  
"Not likely. I've been having dreams too, you know," N'aadija said with a grin. "When I saw you I figured I'd have to pay you a visit. However, I thought you'd be a little older. . ."  
  
"Hey, I'm sixteen years old! I'm not that young!" Kahl'aan cried with a scowl. "Why does everyone always treat me like I'm just a kid?"  
  
"Maybe because you act like one?" N'aadija offered, raising her eyebrows at him from behind her mask. "So, who's this Noaa'lan of which you speak?"  
  
"Ha! You must be from out of town! He's only my ugly older brother and the ever-so-righteous crown prince of the Narundi Dynasty," Kahl'aan said making faces in the direction of his brother. N'aadija could see a dark- haired young man frown back at Kahl'aan from across the room. "God, he's a pain in the butt sometimes, with his stupid premonitions!"  
  
"So, you're a Narundi then?" N'aadija said, trying to hide her astonishment.  
  
"Yeah, can't you tell from the extremely gaudy outfit that my parents made me wear?" Kahl'aan snickered. "I hate these stupid galas!"  
  
"I don't know, they can be pretty fun if you like to dance," N'aadija said, offering him her hand. "You do know how to dance, I'm guessing? I would hope that a prince like yourself would be a good dancer!"  
  
"Is that a challenge?" Kahl'aan asked with a grin. "If it is, then I'll have to take you up on that!"  
  
Kahl'aan swept her out onto the dance floor, pulling her into a dip as they went. He grinned at her for a second, and then drew her back upright into his arms. From that point on, N'aadija was completely breathless. He never missed a beat, moving quickly to the intricate music. She followed his lead, and she found herself spinning and stepping in ways she never thought possible just to barely keep up with him. To make matters worse, the music was faster than usual, making it even harder for her.  
  
"Had enough?" Kahl'aan asked, sensing her exhaustion.  
  
"Not on your life!" N'aadija gasped, reluctant to give in to her aching lungs. Kahl'aan responded by picking up the pace a little.  
  
'Oh great, now I'm really going to die!' Thought N'aadija. She was relieved when the song ended shortly thereafter. Suddenly quite giddy, she collapsed into his arms, gasping for breath. Her face rested close to his neck, and she sensed the clean smell of his aftershave.  
  
"Lets get you to a table and get you some water," Kahl'aan said, his voice laced with concern even though he was still laughing. He sat her down at a table with older couples, none of which she recognized. N'aadija lay her head down on the table as Kahl'aan ran off to the refreshment table.  
  
"Hoooo boy! Those princes sure can dance, can't they?" She commented to a lady that was seated next to her, after which she promptly blacked out.  
  
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or did I just see you dancing out there Kahl'aan?" K'aashi asked with a huge grin on his face, jabbing his friend's younger brother in the ribs.  
  
"I only did it because she challenged my dancing ability. I took the same dance lessons as you did, Noaa'lan. I just wanted to show her that," Kahl'aan said as he quickly poured a glass of water. "Unfortunately, I think I might have worn her out."  
  
"Speaking of her, isn't that the exotic girl from your dream?" Noaa'lan asked, eagerly awaiting his brother's admission that he wasn't totally crazy when he dreamt up the indigo-haired girl.  
  
"Yes, and she's every bit as attractive in real life as she was in the dream," Kahl'aan said quickly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to her before she passes out!"  
  
Kahl'aan ran over to the table where she was sitting before, only to find another woman sitting where N'aadija once sat. He looked around in confusion, wondering where she could have gone.  
  
"Wake up N'aadija!" M'aaranik cried, splashing water on her face. "You almost allowed them to unmask you, all because you wanted to get reacquainted with some stupid old friend from high school!"  
  
"Huh?" N'aadija muttered groggily. "M'aaranik, where did he go?"  
  
"As I was just saying, you passed out, and I had to hurry you out of there before the boy you were dancing with unmasked you. If that would have happened, then all of the people in this dance hall would have seen this week's most popular wanted ad!"  
  
"Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you decided it was a good idea for us to come to this party, dimwit!" N'aadija snapped, sitting up slowly. "Besides, he was a Narundi."  
  
"What's that? That boy you just danced with was one of those disgusting Narundis?" M'aaranik said with a scowl.  
  
"Well, technically, but I truly believe that he might have some potential," N'aadija said, trying to calm M'aaranik's rising anger.  
  
"Potential? How so?" M'aaranik said, eyeing her suspiciously.  
  
"Just in the way he carries himself. He has a lot of potential for the dark side of the force. He dislikes his brother, and resents his parents for making him go to these stupid balls."  
  
"N'aadija, my dear, all teenage boys dislike their siblings, and they also don't like it when their parents make them go to adult parties and dress up in pompous costumes just because it's tradition! I can't see how he could be of any use to us." M'aaranik hissed.  
  
"Trust me on this one, I could sense his potential. He might be a good way to undermine the Narundis from the inside," N'aadija said, getting to her feet.  
  
"I hope you're right," M'aaranik said with a sigh.  
  
Kahl'aan searched around him for the mysterious young woman. He didn't even know her name, just that she existed. In the midst of his rushing around looking for her, a strange thought occurred to Kahl'aan.  
  
'Huh, I guess I really do like her if I'm searching for her. Weird." He thought, smiling to himself inside.  
  
His smile quickly melted to a frown as his foot came in contact with something hard. He looked on in horror when he realized that something hard was Graa'nak's shin. The bounty hunter fell in slow motion in Kahl'aan's eyes, landing face first on the dance floor.  
  
"What the Sith was that?" Graa'nak growled as he leapt to his feet. In a heartbeat he whirled around and shoved Kahl'aan against the nearby wall. "You'll pay for that, Narundi!!!" Kahl'aan swallowed hard as Graa'nak drew a long silver dagger from his belt and placed it within an inch of his throat. He wondered if it would do him any good to beg for his life at this point, but right now things looked incredibly bleak for Kahl'aan Narundi. 


	24. Pissing Off the Bounty Hunter

Chapter Twenty-four  
  
Kahl'aan stared downward at the long silver blade of the dagger that was threatening to rip his throat out. Behind it were the enraged dark eyes of Graa'nak T'naa'lichi, one of the most feared and respected bounty hunters in the galaxy. Kahl'aan knew that Graa'nak didn't take kindly to anyone who was unlucky enough to get in his way, especially when he was drinking, and especially those with the last name of Narundi.  
  
"Think you're pretty smart, tripping me like that? Well allow me to return the favor!" Graa'nak snarled, delivering a powerful punch to Kahl'aan's stomach and following it right away with a roundhouse punch to the eye. Kahl'aan saw stars as his entire body tingled from the pain. He felt the warm wetness of blood pour down his face from a wound next to his eye. From out of his other non-bloody eye he could see Graa'nak pulling back his fist for another attack. He cringed, waiting for more pain in addition to the agony he was currently experiencing. He was surprised when he saw another hand reach out and hold back Graa'nak's arm.  
  
"Get your hands off my brother, or you're going to wish you were never born!" Noaa'lan growled as he pinned the still surprised Graa'nak against the wall.  
  
"You have no idea what you're messing with, boy!" Graa'nak bellowed as he broke free from Noaa'lan's restraint. Noaa'lan could smell the alcohol that was thick on his breath. "I'll beat you down just like your foolish brother!"  
  
"It was an accident, he didn't mean to trip you!" Noaa'lan said, his voice calmer. "Now, just leave him alone!"  
  
Graa'nak drew his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it. Its blade cast a warm orange glow over the crowd of stunned onlookers. Noaa'lan knew he had no choice but to defend himself with his own blade. Graa'nak surely wouldn't show him any mercy. The room stood still as death as the hum of Noaa'lan's blue blade echoed through the chamber and then clashed loudly with Graa'nak's orange blade in a blinding array of sparks. Noaa'lan parried Graa'nak's attack and then drove him backward with an attack of his own.  
  
'I have to be totally nuts!' Thought Noaa'lan as he continued to battle with the older bounty hunter. Graa'nak had the same T'naa'lichi fighting style as he had seen J'aa'nalia battle K'aashi with. He moved with remarkable grace, never wasting motion or energy. His fluid movements were those of a jedi master, something that Noaa'lan knew he was not.  
  
"Enough of these games," Graa'nak said with a sneer. "It's time I teach you a lesson!"  
  
He thrust out his blade and stabbed Noaa'lan in the side. Noaa'lan crumpled from the pain and found himself sprawled out on the floor. He brought his blade up in defense, praying that Graa'nak would lose interest and let him live. Noaa'lan's eyes widened as Graa'nak drew up his blade for the killing blow.  
  
Noaa'lan heard a loud clash as Graa'nak's blade was stopped in mid-air by another lightsaber. He looked up, stunned to find out that it wasn't his father but R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi who had come to his rescue.  
  
"What in El'aanus' name do you think you're doing, Graa'nak?" R'aa'nlan cried in outrage. "I thought you had better judgment than to assault the crown prince at a Narundi diplomatic ball! All this just because his brother tripped you by accident?"  
  
"But, but Uncle R'aa'nlan. . ." Stammered Graa'nak.  
  
"No buts. He did the honorable thing by coming to his brother's defense. What you did was less than honorable!" R'aa'nlan said sternly. "That's it, we're leaving!"  
  
"Noaa'lan, what happened?" Cried J'aa'nalia as she suddenly burst from the crowd.  
  
"You're telling me you witnessed none of your cousin's lovely scene?" Noaa'lan asked, clutching his wounded side.  
  
"No, I was outside in the foyer and I came in when I heard lightsabers clashing!" J'aa'nalia cried in panic. "Did he attack you? You're bleeding!"  
  
"Lets just say it was lucky your father interfered, or else I wouldn't be here anymore," Noaa'lan said softly, bending over in pain from his wound. "Tell him that I'm grateful for what he did for me."  
  
"Noaa'lan, we need to get you some medical attention!" J'aa'nalia insisted, still alarmed.  
  
"J'aa'nie! We've out-stayed our welcome," R'aa'nlan called to his daughter. "Come on, we're going now."  
  
J'aa'nalia reluctantly obeyed her father's orders, following her father and cousin to the exit of the hall. On the way they ran into the king, who wore an angry scowl on his face.  
  
"R'aa'nlan!" Cel'aanaeus barked. "You tell the rest of your family that whatever problems that exist between our families should be between you and me! Leave my sons out of this!"  
  
"Narundi, as much as I don't like you, I'm terribly sorry about what happened here tonight. Tell your boys I'm sorry that someone couldn't keep his temper in check for just one night," R'aa'nlan said, elbowing Graa'nak harshly in the ribs. "Now, I think it's best that we leave this celebration. I can assure you this will never happen again."  
  
Cel'aanaeus' expression softened, and he gave R'aa'nlan a nod of agreement. He ran off for a second to get their cloaks and then courteously escorted them out the door. Cel'aanaeus turned around to face his guests. He wanted nothing more than for this party to be over, so he could tend to his sons. However, his duty was that of a gracious host, and the party was far from over. He forced a smile to reassure the crowd that all was well once again.  
  
"What are you all waiting for? This party is just getting started!" Cel'aanaeus said in a cheerful tone. The crowd seemed to listen to him, and before long things were back to the constant din of people having a good time.  
  
"How is he?" Cel'aanaeus asked his wife who was kneeling over Noaa'lan, trying to heal the gaping wound in his side.  
  
"His color doesn't look good," Bel'aanaea said softly. "Cel'aanaeus, I think he might be going into shock. We need to get him to the hospital."  
  
Noaa'lan fought to stay awake through it all. His side burned with pain and he realized that the slash K'aashi had given him in practice was merely a scratch compared to the wound Graa'nak had just inflicted upon him. He tapped into the force to put himself into a healing trance, turning off almost all of his senses so he could focus his internal energies on healing his body.  
  
"Is he okay?" Kahl'aan asked, kneeling over his brother. Blood still oozed from a compound fracture of his cheekbone. It was beginning to swell and turn purple around the cut. "Mother, Father, I'm so sorry about this! All of this is my fault! If I would have just been looking where I was going, none of this would have happened!"  
  
"Kahl'aan, this is not your fault, Graa'nak is the one to blame for this. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time, and your brother was just doing what any older brother would do when his little brother is in danger," Bel'aanaea said softly, embracing her younger son. "Your brother is going to be just fine, he's just in a healing trance right now. We're going to take him to the hospital where jedi healers can do a better job with healing his wound."  
  
Tears sprang from Kahl'aan's eyes as he watched his brother lying there motionless. Noaa'lan only exhibited very small signs of life, and it was like seeing him dead. His mother held him closer and stroked his hair gently.  
  
"You look pretty banged up yourself," Cel'aanaeus said to his son, who managed a small smile in return. "Lets get you down to see the medic as well."  
  
Cel'aanaeus carefully picked Noaa'lan up and carried him out of the great hall and down the back stairs. Bel'aanaea, Kahl'aan, and K'aashi all followed behind as they made their way to the academy's health center.  
  
"Well, this party sure went well," K'aashi muttered sarcastically.  
  
"Ha, you said it!" Kahl'aan said, grinning.  
  
"What I'm wondering is where all the royal security was when all this was happening!" K'aashi exclaimed.  
  
"They were probably all drunk!" Kahl'aan laughed.  
  
"Cut it out, you two." Cel'aanaeus said sternly, casting them a warning glance. Both boys quieted down immediately, not uttering another word until they reached the hospital.  
  
"Honestly Graa'nak, what were you thinking out there?" R'aa'nlan yelled harshly at his nephew. "You nearly killed the crown prince, and I'm sure you know what the price is on the head of a person who does that!"  
  
"He was drunk again," J'aa'nalia muttered dully. "You know he gets that way when he drinks."  
  
"When did he even have time to drink? We were barely there for an hour!" R'aa'nlan exclaimed.  
  
"Hello, stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Graa'nak growled. "They had some strong shots. I had quite a few."  
  
"Well, I'm not taking you anywhere from now on, mister!" R'aa'nlan growled back. "You can just drink to your heart's content right at home!"  
  
"So, father, you actually stepped in and prevented Graa'nak's blade from striking Noaa'lan?" J'aa'nalia asked hopefully.  
  
"Of course I did! Do you think I'm going to allow my nephew to get himself into that much trouble?"  
  
"No, of course not. I just thought. . ." She said and then trailed off.  
  
"You thought what?" R'aa'nlan asked, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"Never mind," J'aa'nalia said, her cheeks flushing.  
  
The three kept on walking for a while, none of them speaking. The silence inside J'aa'nalia's head was broken by her father's voice.  
  
II know, about the things that have been going on between you two./I  
  
IHow?/I She answered back.  
  
IIt wasn't difficult to figure out./I He stated coldly. II forbid you to associate with him. No daughter of mine is going to date a Narundi./I  
  
ISo that's it, huh? Instead of being with the man I love I'm stuck marrying my alcoholic cousin?/I She asked curtly. II'm so glad you care so much about your youngest daughter and her welfare! /I  
  
IAnyone is better than a Narundi. Maybe when you're older you'll understand why I'm saying this. It's for your own good. This discussion is over./I  
  
J'aa'nalia felt her spirits sink as her father's mind snapped down and closed her out. She feared she could never get through to him. If in the end she couldn't, she'd be stuck marrying the abusive man who had attacked two other people in a drunken rage. Who knew how many people he'd killed during his years working as a bounty hunter. Killing people was second nature to Graa'nak, and J'aa'nalia wondered how he ever managed to stay away from the dark side of the force, given his job and his temper. J'aa'nalia shuddered as a vision of a bleak future crossed her mind, one of pain and suffering at the hands of Graa'nak. She prayed that somehow it might not come true. 


	25. The Source of the Feud

Chapter Twenty-five  
  
Trouble was certainly not a stranger to Noaa'lan Narundi and neither was injury. Often, when he would overstep his boundaries and get himself in over his head, Noaa'lan would find himself in the hands of jedi healers. His father constantly admonished him about this less-than-desirable character trait. Once again, he was relying on the skills of trained healers to save his life. Once again, he should have been paying more attention before he got himself into trouble.  
  
Noaa'lan's mind was working overtime as his body burned with fever. Strange dreams almost always came when he was this feverish, but few of them had ever predicted the future like his normal dreams could. Most of the time they were just a hodgepodge of random events and thoughts from the previous day. However, tonight that strange muddle caught Noaa'lan by surprise.  
  
He saw pictures flicker before his eyes as if they were part of a poorly constructed holoflick. A blond young man, probably in his mid-twenties, seemed to be waiting for someone to join him out on a balcony. He was holding a bouquet of flowers, so Noaa'lan assumed that someone was a woman. Something about the young man seemed strikingly familiar, and that helped to spark Noaa'lan's curiosity. He saw the man's face light up as a cloaked figure approached. The young man pulled the young woman into a warm embrace and then pulled down the hood to her cloak. He kissed her passionately, running his fingers through long ebony hair.  
  
The woman seemed like she was hiding something, and she tried to pull her hood back up, but the young man would have none of that. She grew increasingly agitated as he continued to kiss her, desperately trying to calm him down. She had something to say to him, and it was obvious that it was urgent. Noaa'lan speculated that maybe she'd found another lover. She would have no such luck, because before she got a chance to speak the young man stopped kissing her suddenly. He stared dumbfounded at something on her neck and then his expression changed dramatically. It was as if someone has just taken a force pike and gutted him with it. The young man's face seemed even more familiar with this new expression, although Noaa'lan still couldn't pinpoint it. The expression only lasted for a split second, and then was replaced with one of intense fury. Before the woman could say what she had been waiting to say to him he stormed off, fists clenched. Only then did Noaa'lan recognize him. However, he was not prepared for what he saw next. The young woman spun around in panic and finally her face was visible to Noaa'lan. There could be no mistaking her for anyone.  
  
"Mother." Noaa'lan whispered hoarsely. 


End file.
